


Imbue

by ChildishSadism



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Altered Greek Mythology, Greek Mythology - Freeform, Hades!Levi, M/M, Persephone!Eren, not graphic, slight non-con
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-18
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-01-12 22:41:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 38,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1203214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChildishSadism/pseuds/ChildishSadism
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An innocent flower isolated from the world, with no one around to cherish it or love it. He cannot escape and can't run away, but will trading one prison for another make his life worth living, or will the God of Death make him wish he never left his garden.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Abduction

**Author's Note:**

> Gods would be as follow:
> 
> Levi = Hades
> 
> Carla = Demeter
> 
> Erwin = Zeus.
> 
> As of right now those are the only gods that are going to be used through this chapter. The story is also not fully following the original Persephone and Hades tale (this chapter being the closest as it would get), and will take place in a more modern setting in future chapters. Greek mythology will be altered according to the fic needs, please don't get angry.
> 
> OTZ I would like to apologize for my English and grammar before hand, English is not my first language.
> 
> This was a request in the SNK kink meme.

Turquoise eyes snapped open and they knew right away why he was awake. There was someone watching him. It was early in the morning, the sun was barely starting to show through the trees but Eren was wide awake and he couldn't go back to sleep. Someone was watching him, and he could feel their eyes piercing through even the darkness that was still clouding the earth. It made his skin crawl and cold, but even if he looked around, even if he looked outside his window, he could never find anyone.

It was almost frightening how common this had become to Eren. He first felt the stare when he was outside his home, taking care of the garden his mother loved so much. At the beginning he thought it was his mother watching over him, being the over-protective person she was but the stare felt different. He was used to his mother checking on him as often as she could, but her stare was usually warm, full of life and undying love. It felt as if a blanket was being dropped over his shoulder and he wasn't as alone as he thought he was. It was a reminder that even if Eren was here, in this never ending garden, isolated from everything he still had someone to look after him.

The eyes that were watching him now were completely different. They were strong and powerful like his mother's stare but they held no warmth to them, instead it was a creeping cold that made Eren's skin crawl and shiver until he was out of his bedroom and out into the world where the sun could warm up his skin. It was too dark, the stare was dark and frightening but held something else. Devotion, but different from the one his mother's held. Admiration, but with something hidden behind it. Endearing, and that scared him to no end.

Eren was thankful though, because those eyes were not always watching him. No, they came and went and Eren was never sure when they were going to be back. He wasn't even sure how this person was able to see him. He was hidden away by his mother, in a place where no one could come in and no one could leave. Eren had tried to leave before, but the forest only brought him back to the same cottage with the beautiful garden he tended with love. He was all alone, the only company that he had were the flowers and tree around him, and the visits his mother would often give him. Whatever was watching him was for sure not human, or else they would have met a dreadful end with in the forest, just like Eren almost did more than once when trying to get away.

The fact that he was isolated and knew nothing of the world around him was probably the reason why he was so curious about who was watching him. The never ending trees around him felt like walls that were closing in on him, yet when the stare came back and followed him, then it felt like the trees were not as close as they once were and there was still hope that he could leave one day. If someone could find him in here, in the middle of nowhere, then maybe one day he could leave this place as well.

Eren stared at the ceiling above him, ignoring the cold that was slowly numbing his feet. The pair of turquoise eyes were blinking slowly and still heavy with sleep, his light brown hair was sticking out in odd angles, and his olive skin was lightly coated with sweat because of how nervous he felt under the stare. The colors felt dull around him, even his own form felt dull when he was under the unknown gaze. It almost felt like he was being drained and pulled somewhere, a place he wasn't exactly sure where it was. He shifted on his bed, the sheets rolling down below his hips as his legs tangled with the blankets until half of his body was exposed.

The stare was gone, and Eren let out a soft breath he didn't even know he had been holding in. He turned and took a deep breath next, his body twisting on the bed as the colors around him seem to crawl back to life. The sun was out and gently peeking through the curtains on his windows, but Eren's eyes felt heavy again, his body was tired and he wanted to go back to sleep. Now that he didn't have someone watching him, he was able to relax both physically and mentally. He yawned and his eyes slid shut again, his mind being taken by the world of dreams once again.

Eren stretched and forced himself awake for the second time later that morning. It was noon and the sun was shinning brighter through the windows. The brunette bathed outside near the stream that went through the garden, his hands washing his body clean until he felt as fresh as the water he was bathing with. The warm summer morning was easily drying off his skin without him having to do much, he changed into a light white robe and began doing his chores.

Was it still chores if he was the only one living here and his mother was no longer there? That was a good question. He probably did all of this out of habit but it wasn't like there was much to do at all. The young male sighed and glanced towards the line of trees that extended into the sky and acted almost like walls around him. He walked over, standing there while his big eyes stared into the darkness that laid behind the trees. He took a step forward, his body almost moving on its own before he shook his head and turned. He had tried this before, it never worked. Eren knew very well that his mother had made this forest a maze, filled with danger and traps. Why he still fought against the inevitable was beyond him.

The brunette groaned loudly and walked back to the cottage. He made himself some breakfast, noticing that there was new food in his kitchen, his mother probably brought it over night while he was sleeping. He frowned at that thought and sighed quietly, she could at least wake him up to say hi. After breakfast he went ahead and cleaned up the little cottage, doing the little laundry he had and hanging it outside in between two small trees that where perfectly placed behind his home.

This was his life, his daily routine. He couldn't remember how long he had been doing this. Eren could remember not always been this alone though, his mother was always around and she would often bring other people with her to visit him but now, it almost felt like he was being forgotten and even if he wanted to adventure on his own and find a life of his own, he wasn't even allowed to leave. Even his father hardly spoke to him anymore, if at all. Last time he saw him, he was short with him and wouldn't meet his eyes, like he had done something wrong but Eren couldn't figure out what exactly. It wasn't like he had ever hurt him or wronged him, he just wished for more of his attention. Erwin was always busy though, and Eren knew he wasn't the biggest priority. It just kind of stung.

In this never ending summer, with beautiful flowers and weather, Eren had no one to share it with. This was his little garden, with his little home, in his own little world. It was just him and the flowers. With that in mind he grabbed a bucket and filled it with water, it was time to water the plants. He started with the flowers inside his home, making sure to clean up the delicate petals. The vegetable garden behind his home was next. He poured water over the lettuce, carrots, potatoes and all the different vegetables he was growing. The young male then collected what looked ready to eat and put it in a basket, taking it inside and put it near the small sink.

The rest of the garden was next and the sea of flowers were ready for a bath. He chuckled quietly and sat near the first bed of lowers, using a small cup to pour water on top of the fragile flowers. He stared at the petals, the bright colors that looked almost unrealistic. Well, almost, because right now they were looking a little dull. Eren frowned and glanced at another set of flowers, noticing that they also looked somewhat opaque. The pink color wasn't bright but faded, almost like a smudge on a chalkboard.

Eren turned his head and glanced at the rest of the flowers, watching as the bright colors slowly started to fade. He looked up at the sky, wondering if rain was coming but no, the sun was right above him but the bright light that should be shinning over him was not there. He stood up and moved through the garden, the flowers blowing lightly with the wind before a few petals flew off. It was then that a shiver ran down his spine and he quickly turned, the familiar feeling coming back. Someone was watching him. He turned again, looking around him but there was no one. He was all alone but he knew he wasn't, and the darkness creeping through the trees that surrounded him had never been this frightening. He stared at the darkness behind the trees and flinched before quickly looking away.

The young male kept turning, moving through the garden in an attempt to find what was staring at him, what kept looking at him and what kept following his every move. Panic was quickly building up in his body, causing his body to shake with every step. He was angry, upset and enraged because he couldn't find the source, because he couldn't stop feeling this scared. It was so frustrating and he could feel his body tensing up in his anger, his breathing was harsh and his vision began to blur. The colors were suddenly mixed together and he couldn't see anything. He closed his eyes and held onto his head, shaking it as he tried to make the cursed feeling go away.

He heard it then, horses. He could hear the sound of horses rushing through the fields. The heavy breathing and the intimidating noises they would make when angered. The galloping was loud and ringing in his ears. It was almost like the horse was next to him but there was nothing there. It was too weird, too strange and even though somewhere inside of him he was curious, his own survival instinct took over. He shook his head and quickly ran towards the cottage, his feet stepping on some of the flowers as he rushed but the small pathway had never been longer.

Silence took over and fear spread through Eren's body. He couldn't hear the water from the stream, or the wind anymore, his own steps had no sound and neither did his breathing. The birds that flew by, the noises the forest made, all of it was gone. Silence. That was all Eren could feel and all he wanted was to be inside his home.

Eren flinched and almost froze in place when he felt the unknown eyes right behind him. Everything in his body was telling him not to look back but his head was already turning and his turquoise eyes went wide. Flower petals were scattered everywhere, blowing with the chilly wind and creating a contrast against the darkness that was behind him. A dark fog was covering his garden and all he could see were a pair of horses that looked unnatural, it was almost like they were nothing but a dark liquid, like ink. They dragged themselves against the ground, leaving moist, dark footsteps behind them. The horses were staring at him with bright, blue eyes and the short distance that was in between them was soon reached and Eren could see what was behind the massive beasts.

The two horses were dragging an open carriage. The carriage was made out of obsidian, the dark stone giving a hint of blue. The angles were sharp and looked dangerous, almost like just getting near the carriage would hurt you. The sharp spikes sticking out in odd angles assured a painful death and the wheels that almost looked like melted wax were as unnatural as everything else.

Eren was scared and he didn't realize he had stopped running until he felt the horse right next to him. He kept staring with wide eyes, his mouth running dry while cold sweat ran down his spine. He shuddered and looked up, finally noticing the dark figure that was now standing on the carriage. The man in front of him was wearing black robes with armor that was dark but had a light blue glare to it, just like the carriage. The robes were long, covering his whole frame and the hood with black fur was pooling against his neck. But Eren couldn't see his face, he couldn't because of the mask the man was wearing. The mask was that of a skull, but the skull didn't look human. It was covering almost all of of his face face with the exception of his mouth, but Eren could still see raven colored hair and pale skin that looked almost white, he was sure he could even see this man's veins because of how pale his skin was.

The figured moved towards the edge of the carriage and Eren realized then that the man was now right in front of him, looking down at him with hollow, dark eyes. The mask was hiding his eyes or maybe they were the man's real eyes, Eren wasn't sure, but the dark holes staring at him caused him to snap and to take a step back, his body shaking all over as he fought the urge to scream.

A pale hand with long dark fingernails reached for him and Eren only had enough time to turn before he was snatched into the carriage. He was picked up effortlessly, and pressed against a cold chest. It was then that Eren realized he was crying now, tears were pouring out of his eyes freely and the pale fingers reached over to wipe the tears away with surprising tenderness. The touch was cold and those nails looked dangerously sharp but Eren was not harmed. The hand moved over his face, touching his cheeks with the back of it, before the digits gently touched his lips. The soft touches moved to his neck and jaw, it almost felt like the man in front of him was admiring his face and as soon as tears were rolling down his eyes again, the stranger was quickly wiping them away.

Eren tried to open his mouth to say something but instead his eyes looked around him. The fog was still consuming his garden and the flowers were all gone, scattered in the wind and still dancing around them. What exactly was happening? He didn't know. It was frightening beyond belief and Eren felt his legs shaking and his eyes were welling up with more tears. He heard himself let out soft noises and then the pair of hands were holding onto his face.

The brunette was forced to look at the man in front of him again, and he was leaning closer and closer. The mask disappeared into ashes that were blown by the wind and Eren only had a second to see the face in front of him. Sharp, icy-blue eyes, stared back at him and all the young male did was close his eyes before a pair of lips were pressing against his own. The kiss was desperate, forceful and at the same time passionate. The man was pulling him in closer, wrapping his arms around Eren's form and slipping one of his arms around his waist while his other hand kept holding onto his face. Just like the rest though, the kiss was also cold, and the wet tongue that was now inside Eren's mouth was making him shiver and tear up.

This was Eren's first kiss, and the man felt like he was trying to devour him, swallow him whole and take control of him. It as almost hypnotizing as well, because Eren couldn't bring himself to push the other away, instead he held onto the others dark robes, his mind going hazy with the lack of air and his lungs were starting to burn. But the man didn't stop, not until he had tasted him entirely, only then did the man pulled back, his tongue dancing over Eren's lips before gently biting on them. He chuckled, and it was deep and low and it made Eren twitch and close his eyes again. The man leaned in and kissed him once again but this time it was short, a peck on the lips.

The horses shrieked then and Eren felt the carriage moving, the fog had taken over and now they were moving through the darkness. The young male looking around him, his wide eyes staring in fear as he could see nothing but darkness, the light was gone and the dull colors now sounded wonderful in comparison to the never ending darkness around him.

Far in the distance, Eren could see the sun disappearing. He shook his head, despair finally taking over as he struggled and tried to reach for the light that was slowly fading. Eren heard himself screaming for the first time when the light finally left him. He could no longer see the sun, it was gone.

The young male was pulled again, the cold hands keeping him still. He was shaking from head to toe, his panic consuming him whole as he tried to find any kind of source of light but the only thing he could see was the light glowing of the carriage and the man's armor. He was spun around so his back was facing the man's cold chest, and then his body was pushed against the carriage. Eren let out a soft whimper, his hands holding onto the carriage, the spikes not being as sharp as he first thought, or maybe it was only because he was touching them.

He was bent over the carriage, and the cold hands were roaming over his chest and waist. Eren jerked and his eyes went wide when his robe was easily ripped open, his body frozen in place. He was scared, too scared. He was breathing heavily and he could feel himself curling up and slowly kneeling on the carriage but he was quickly jerked by his arm and forced to bend over the carriage again. He was crying and shaking his head, his legs trembling as they tried to keep him on his feet.

Eren wasn't sure of what was happening, his mind was trying to tell him something, to explain to him what exactly was happening but he refused to listen. He refused to admit his situation. He couldn't. It was hurting and his tears were falling faster than ever, and he sobbed quietly and felt as one of the cold hands ran over his lower back, appreciating the curve there. He could feel them moving from his hips to his thighs, rubbing against the soft skin of his inner thighs and then his hips. The hands were suddenly everywhere, or maybe Eren's mind was too out of it to truly make sense of the situation anymore. All he knew was that those cold hands were touching him, and the long fingernails were gently scraping against the skin on his thighs and hips.

Eren didn't even have to try to close his eyes to keep himself from watching what was happening, the darkness was only growing and it was slowly crawling into his eyes, making him unable to see anything at all. He gasped and arched his body, and then he felt those hands dancing over his chest next, admiring him, cherishing him. But the fear inside Eren's chest was just growing and his mind was slowly slipping away. He was going to go insane, he was going to break. The brunette let out a loud sob and then the hands moved faster. He felt something cold crawling inside of him, freezing his insides and making him twist with wide eyes. The cold feeling made his knees buckle under his weight and then he was being pulled and thrown over the carriage, one hand keeping him in place by holding onto the back of his neck.

It was odd, how his mind kept screaming at him to fight, to struggle, to stop being so afraid but his body wouldn't move. The pair of cold eyes staring him kept him pinned in place and the hand that was touching him, slipping inside with cold fingers and causing him to let out choking sobs, was not stopping. He knew what was happening now, for sure he did but he kept shaking his head, denying anything and everything.

The young male felt the stranger looming over him and soon he felt something heavy leaning over his back, and those cold hands were now on top of his own and soft lips were brushing against his shoulder. Eren's chest was pressing against the carriage and then one of the hands moved from holding his own to covering his eyes, as if to shield him from what was about to happen.

Eren had never heard himself screaming so loud. He had screamed in pain and suffering before, in loneliness and sadness but he couldn't remember his voice ever being this loud and raw. It almost felt like his throat was tearing. He was in pain, his body was twitching in pain, the cold feeling that had been inside of him was now replaced for a burning fire. It was spreading through him, making his body shake and his eyes lightly roll to the back of his head. He was breathing heavily and his legs were giving up again, but the man kept him in place.

The screams didn't stop, he couldn't stop. The man was panting next to him, whispering things that Eren couldn't understand or maybe he just didn't want to. He kept his hand over his eyes and the young male sobbed again and his body started to twitch. He tried to curl up, squirm, anything, but he was kept in place the whole time. Another scream ripped from his throat and then Eren felt something shattering, his eyes rolled back again and his consciousness disappeared.

Even in his idle mental state Eren couldn't find peace, the coldness kept crawling over and he could feel something, he wasn't sure what it was but he could see something besides the darkness, and unbeknownst to him, up above on earth the millions of flowers that had been blooming all across the world suddenly shattered. The petals flew across the different winds, covering the world with the death beauty. It was abnormal, and fear crawled across the world, something was wrong but nobody knew what.

Eren was finally able to rest after the odd feeling was gone, his whole body collapsed along with what was left of his mind. The darkness finally overtook him and he couldn't do anything but let it happen, only feeling the cold hands holding onto his own until he was gone.

* * *

It was unusual for nature to do this. The whole world was in a state of awe, there hadn't been a place that had been spared. All the beautiful flowers and plants had dried out. The crops and fields were fine, but the colorful flora had been wiped from the world. Forests had suffered, the jungles were no different. Animals, insects and other living creatures were in panic. It was like they knew what happened and the people could do nothing but to whisper in between them, to gossip and come to conclusions on their own.

The Gods. Someone had angered them, or something happened. They did the only thing they could think of, they prayed, they gave offerings and they begged the Gods that could control their earth and nature to please spare them.

Carla heard those prayers, she glanced and moved across the earth, her eyes wide with fear and anger. She knew what had happened, and the mere thought made her whole being tremble with anger, and it showed. The earth was shaking, small earthquakes broke through the world but nothing big enough to harm anyone. She moved with speed she didn't even know she owned and before she knew it she was standing on the middle of the perfect little garden. Except it wasn't perfect anymore.

The cottage was empty, the door was open and the windows were broken. A half finished meal was on the table and Eren's clothes were still drying in the back. She looked through every room, her long gown dragging as she walked. The golden jewelry that adorned her neck, ankle, wrists and fingers making soft noises each time she moved.

Eren's little home was empty and Carla ran outside, but she knew that Eren was not there. She just couldn't accept it. The garden was gone, the soft petals covering the whole ground showing what had happened. She held a hand on her chest, the pain on there only growing as the fear of her son's disappearance became more evident. Eren was gone, and she had no idea where he was. Whoever took him ripped Eren from his home by force and the struggle was evident, she could feel it on the earth. She could still hear her son's screams as they echoed on the ground underneath her. She covered her ears and hissed in pain before narrowing her eyes and growling.

They had taken what was the most dear to her and they had stripped him from his home and innocence. Whoever had done this, whoever had been stupid enough to do this, was going to pay and she was going to make sure to deliver the punishment herself.

* * *

Eren was dreaming. He was cold and curling up underneath the sheets, his eyelids twitching and his breathing becoming uneven. The dream was distant and foggy, he couldn't make out what was happening but he could see himself, he could feel what was happening. He knew his vision was blurry and his half lidded eyes could hardly focus on anything. He was cold, colder than ever. Goose bumps were crawling over his skin and a pair of hands moved over his chest, resting over his collarbone. A pair of fingers ran over the sharp bones and then moved to his neck. The two hands held onto his neck but didn't choke him or did anything to harm him, they were just touching the skin there, gently massaging it. The long fingernails brushed against his jaw and one nail lifted his chin, forcing his half lidded eyes to stare back at a pair of icy-blue orbs.

The brunette could hear his breathing, it was sharp and uneven. He was panting loudly and he could feel sweat sticking to his skin. Eren's cheeks were warm and the warmth spread all the way to his ears and neck. He tilted his head and dropped his head on his shoulder, and the hands simply cupped his cheeks and pulled him down for a kiss. It was only then that Eren noticed he was sitting on top of someone, and the warmth on his face wasn't not only reaching his ears but spreading all over his body, specially his hips. He was semi-aware of how his body was being moved, back and forth on top of the man underneath him, but his dream was too hazy for him to even fully understand all that was happening.

Eren could hear soft noises crawling out of his mouth, the hands holding his face caressing his cheeks and moving to pet with his hair. The cold fingers moved to hold onto his waist and suddenly Eren was moving faster and he was squirming and letting out soft noises. The half-lidded turquoise eyes were lost and he could hardly make out how the man looked like. The raven hair was so dark, darker than a night without moon. The skin on the other hand could be considered the same color of the moon, so pale and Eren could see the small blue veins and he could feel his fingers trying to touch them but not reaching them. A sharp stare kept looking at him and a small smirk was adoring those pale lips. But Eren, once he stared at those icy-blue eyes, he couldn't look away. He knew those eyes, that stare, those looks. He had felt them before, multiple times, when he was awake, when he was asleep.

Eren's eyes snapped open and he woke up from his dream. He took a deep breath, almost like if he hadn't been breathing this whole time. He turned, his eyes wide in surprise as his lungs tried their hardest to supply air to his body. An unfamiliar ceiling welcomed him. the room he was in was dark, with no windows, but it was big, it was easily six times the size of his little cottage. Still, it had a cold, unwelcoming feeling.

The young male quickly sat up, the soft bed not feeling so nice anymore. The black sheets looking offensive and dirty. He got up, his feet dragging over the cold marble floor. The huge room had a dresser, and a table with a massive mirror and different brushes, hairpins and jewelry. The bedroom was semi-divided in two by a screen, and Eren peeked behind it and saw a bathroom, the big bathtub was filled with warm water and black waterlily's were floating on top. He walked around the bedroom, his hands rubbing his cold arms. He hadn't even noticed he was wearing a black robe now, all he could do was stare at the high ceiling that had dangerous spikes hanging from it. The terrifying architecture sent a shiver down his spine. The place was dangerous, scary and the complete opposite of Eren's garden.

Eren swallowed heavily and looked around the room once again, just to finally notice a door. He ran towards it and quickly twisted the handle before pulling the heavy door open. He ran out of the bedroom and through the dark hallways, the only light coming from the dull, green torches that illuminated the hallways. He kept running, not even stopping to see where he was going, his feet were getting numb from stepping on the cold floor but he couldn't stop. The young male was panting heavily, his lungs struggling to keep up with him, he couldn't remember having such a hard time breathing before and he also was just now realizing how sore his body was.

The hallways seemed never ending and soon stairs showed up and Eren ran down those big, wide staircases. He ignored the paintings on the walls and the soft carpet that was now underneath his feet. This place felt like a massive mansion, except like something out of a nightmare. He could hear people screaming in the background and he would flinch every time a scream was too long. The staircase ended and Eren ran through another hallway before a pair of big doors became clear. The doors were open and he wasted no time running through them, a bridge showing then and just as Eren was about to stop on it, something yanked him back.

Eren let out a small scream as something pulled on his wrists, ankles and neck. Whatever it was yanked him hard enough to make him fall on his back, and leave him gasping for air. He was taking sharp breaths and his hands quickly touched on his neck, noticing that something was holding tightly onto it. Not only that but also his wrists and ankles. The young male sat up and stared at the see through shackles around his ankles, and wrists. They looked almost made out of crystal, delicate and cold but they had been strong enough to pull him back and he was sure they hadn't been there before. The collar around his neck felt no different and just like they had appeared the bounds disappeared, leaving Eren completely confused.

Eren swallowed heavily and stood up, rubbing on his wrists and noticing that nothing was there at all now, and with that in mind he moved towards the bridge but as soon as he stepped near the edge of the mansion, he could hear the clicking of chains and the shackles were back and his collar was bond again. He shook his head, staring at the chains that went back inside the mansion, keeping him from running away. He bit down on his bottom lip and grabbed on the chains, pulling on them in an attempt to set himself free. The crystal looked so weak and fragile but Eren pulled and yanked on the chains and they never budged. He kept pulling though, fear slowly spreading through his body. He felt tears filling his eyes and he begged, plead for the chains to let him go.

"Please, please, please, let go..." And his voice was so soft and sore. He yanked on the chains again, just to be yanked by them and pulled towards the door. He shook his head and moved towards the bridge, clinging to one of the edges as the chains pulled on him but this time almost playing with him. Eren leaned over the bridge, tears slowly falling down the tip of his nose and into the river underneath him. It was then that he noticed, the different faces and eyes staring back at him, the wide eyes that looked hollow and then the faces screamed and Eren screamed with them and moved away from the bridge. He covered his ears, sitting on the floor near the big doors, he was shaking and trying to ignore the screaming but it wouldn't stop.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!" He heard himself yelling and the fear of finally figuring out where he was, was filling him up whole and making him scream louder. There was only one place like this, only one place with so much darkness. Only one place with a river of souls.

Eren was in the underworld, and if there was something everybody knew, even him, it was the fact that nobody could ever escape it.

The brunette was so lost in his own fear and mind that he didn't hear the footsteps behind him that echoed against the walls. He kept his eyes closed and his hands over his ears, not wanting to hear the screaming coming from the river. He was tearing up and curling up, until a hand reached and grabbed his chin, tilting his head back. Eren's eyes open up slowly and he blinked a couple of times, his vision becoming clear after a few tears were shed. The man from before was staring down at him, and his thumb was gently rubbing his cheek and getting rid of some of the tears.

Levi, this was Levi, the God of the underworld. Eren hadn't even considered this before, it never crossed his mind but now he was right here, kneeling down with his head tilted back and his eyes staring at the God himself. He wanted to say something, to open his mouth and speak but his throat felt dry, still he struggled with it and swallowed heavily, his brows furrowing together before he let out a soft noise.

"I...I want to go home."

"This is your home."


	2. Abandone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, second chapter and this one has no warnings! I think, urg, I really think so. Correct me if I'm wrong!
> 
> Again, I apologize for any mistakes and enjoy!

Eren stared down at the cup in front of him, the pink liquid looking out of place inside the dark cup. He allowed his eyes to look pass the cup in front of him and his vision was filled with food, all kinds of food. The brunette could see stew, steak, roast chicken, even a turkey and all types of different salads and pastas. Elegant pastries were resting on silver platters, cakes, pies and chocolate desserts that smelled wonderfully. The smell itself acted like a drug would and Eren found himself licking his lips and his fingernails dug onto the arm rest of his seat. The corners of his mouth were lightly salivating and he felt his tongue lightly peeking out to lick his dry lips. He was aching to reach for the food, to have a taste, to feel the different textures and more importantly, he wanted to feel full. He was starving.

The long black table had no other guests, the food in front of him was being offered to him and him alone. He wasn't being rushed, he wasn't being told what was good and what wasn't. This was all for him, no one else mattered, if Eren wanted to take two days to even taste some of the soup, then it was fine, this was his banquet. Levi was sitting across the table, his blue eyes staring at Eren with a hint of happiness that the brunette couldn't understand. An amused smile spread over his lips as he waited and waited and waited for Eren to give in.

The brunette stared down at his cup and swallowed heavily, his dry throat reminding him of how thirsty he was.

"What is this?" Eren picked up the cup, staring at the pink liquid.

"Strawberry milk..." Levi answered, looking at his long nails before blinking and frowning. He quickly turned his attention back towards Eren, and the young male could see a hint of worry in his eyes. "You like strawberries right?"

"Y-yeah, I do." He answered with a weak smile, half wondering how the other knew that he loved strawberries, but Eren kept himself from asking when the of worry was gone from Levi's eyes and instead he looked pleased.

"Good. I remembered right." The death God went quiet after that, his attention back on his nails or Eren's bright eyes.

The brunette made no attempt to start a conversation. He kept his eyes on the cup in front of him, if he was to glance at the food once again, he was sure his will was going to break. Eren took in a shaky breath and picked up the cup again. He was so thirsty, he needed something to drink but he knew better, he couldn't be tempted.

"Strawberries, r-right? From where?" Eren's eyes looked up to meet Levi's and he saw the ghost of a smirk before a dark smoke covered his vision. In the blink of an eye Levi was sitting on the table right next to him, his expression was monotone but his eyes showed a hint of glee that the young male couldn't quite pin point. Was this a game?

The death God crossed one of his legs over the other, his foot almost brushing on Eren's shoulder. He leaned in, his hand reaching to hold onto Eren's chin, his hold being gentle and soft. Levi gently pulled on Eren, forcing him to lift his body and lean forward against the table. He stared at the wide turquoise eyes, his thumb gently brushing against Eren's bottom lip with care.

"You are not stupid, are you?" Levi's voice dropped and his whisper was dark. The brunette felt a shiver running down his back and the hold on his chin left him. He fell back down on his chair and Levi moved to stand next to him, one of his arms sneaking around Eren's shoulders, making it go around his neck so his hand was able to hold onto his chin once again. He kept Eren's face in place, his lips gently brushing against his ear.

Levi snapped his fingers right in front of Eren and the food turned into nothing but ashes. The table that was once full of food was now covered with ashes. Even the cup that had been in front of Eren was now gone and a small pile of dust was all that was left. It shouldn't affect him, at least not much but with the food gone Eren was painfully aware of how hungry he was, how much his stomach was hurting and how dry his throat was. He fought back the feeling, ignoring the twitching headache that was forming on the back of his head.

"I hope you enjoy starvation, it is quite a painful thing, although you cannot die while you are here that doesn't change the fact that you can feel pain..." The soft lips were brushing against his ear with every word. "I would suggest you start to settle in, it's not like you are going anywhere."

As if to make his point clear, Levi's hand reached for Eren's. He lifted his hand, bringing it to his lips to kiss the ring there. He leaned his head against the brunette's, his eyes staring at the ring on Eren's hand. His pale hand gently toyed with it, rubbing his thumb against the gem that changed hues from green to yellow. Levi let a small smile tug from the corner of his lips, his fingers moving to touch Eren's hand. He traced the long digits and moved to massage the palm before wrapping his own hand around it. The raven kissed it once again and moved Eren's hand so it was right in front of the brunette's face, showing the engagement ring that Eren was unable to take off. He had tried.

Eren swallowed heavily, his fear filled eyes couldn't look away from the ring. He felt his hands twitching and with each twitch he could feel the ring, the heavy reminder of what was happening to him. Levi's hand intertwined with his, spreading the same cold feeling all through Eren's body, and he flinched and closed his eyes, his breathing becoming difficult. He wanted to cry again but he was fighting back the tears that were struggling to form. The dark ring felt heavier on his hand the longer Levi held into it. He was trying, he was trying so hard but he finally snapped and pulled his hand away, holding it close to his chest and curling up against his chair with a soft noise.

It wasn't real, this couldn't be real. It was not possible. The same words echoed in his head, trying to ease the mental torment that he was going through. He felt tears on his eyes again and the death God was quickly wiping them again, kissing the corner of his lips with those poisonous cold lips. Eren jerked away this time, pushing onto Levi's chest with a hand to keep him back. He covered his mouth with one of his hands as a loud sob escaped his lips. The big dinning room was suddenly closing in and he couldn't stop the tears from rolling down his eyes.

He was wed. The brunette was linked to someone else now, and the worst part of all was that he couldn't remember most of it. Sometimes he could get small glimpses of what happened, but it mostly happened in his dreams and the whole time he could hardly remember being conscious, he had been more like a puppet that had been pulled by strings that he himself couldn't see. He could remember standing at a dark altar with blue rose petals falling from the ceiling. He could remember wearing a pretty robe that resembled mostly a gown and was adorned with dark jewelry and gems. He had worn a chest plate like Levi's but this one had a complicated pattern on it and was light, obviously made mostly for special occasions. One of the pieces of jewelry was a choker that went down to his collar bone, covering the skin that was still exposed from the chest plate. Both of his arms had cuffs that reached up to his elbows and soft pieces of it extended to what was left of his arms.

Eren could see himself walking and he had no control over his movements. He was walking and walking and his dull eyes were staring into nothing. The dreams skipped through then, with Eren staring at Levi's face as he slipped the ring on his hand, just to skip to Levi kissing him and carrying him away. The scenes became blurrier and then he was in a boat, and he was sitting next to Levi with his head resting against his shoulder and Levi's own head on top of his own. He was gently caressing his shoulder and his other hand was playing with the ring on Eren's finger, much like he had done just a couple of minutes ago. But there was something that Eren could clearly see, and that was the look of complete devotion Levi held the whole time. He looked overjoyed, even if he wasn't smiling and even if he wasn't laughing with happiness, he could clearly see it in his eyes.

Levi chuckled against Eren's ear, causing the brunette to snap out of his day dreaming. He turned his head and opened his eyes to look at him. He rubbed his lips together, gently pushing on Levi's chest just to have the hand holding on his chin turn his head to stare back at the cold blue eyes. Levi leaned in and kissed Eren's lips softly, his hands moving to hold onto his cheeks and gently cup his face as his lips moved over the brunette's. He didn't push to make the kiss any deeper and he didn't pull Eren back when the young male turned his head and moved back. He simply stroked Eren's cheek with the back of his hand.

It was frightening how tender the God in front of him could be, how his touches were soft and kind. How he looked at Eren like he was the only person worth looking at in the whole wide world. It twisted something inside the brunette, something he couldn't explain, because that devotion was as clear as water, but it also felt poisonous. Levi had taken him by force, he kidnapped him and was keeping him locked inside the underworld, and no matter how much Eren tried to hide or run, he was always found. Yet, the death God was never upset, nor was he angry that he had to chase him around, if anything he looked somewhat amused. He would reach for Eren's hand, and hold on to it while he guided the way back 'home' as he would like to put it. If anything it made Eren felt like a child again, and like it was his actions that were immature and the ones that were odd.

Levi talked to him a lot, about random things too. He also looked troubled when talking to Eren, like he was having a hard time explaining something because he was hiding something else, he looked upset then. The anger made his eyes colder and his hair look darker but the anger was never directed towards Eren at all, he wasn't angry at him but someone else and the brunette often wondered who he was angry at. The anger however, seem to melt away when he would look at Eren,then he would move closer and run his fingers through Eren's hair and everything was back to normal.

The little episodes never stopped him from continuing to talk to Eren. Unfortunately the brunette wasn't even sure of what to do when the other was talking to him. Eren, who was used to being alone, and hardly got any visitors or company was now being talked to every single day. Eren, whose only company through the years had been nothing but vegetation. Eren, who could hardly recognize the sound of his own voice when he finally spoke, was expected to carry on a conversation with the God of Death himself? It was too intimidating, but Levi never pressured him into talk to him, not once. He just kept talking and Eren would sit there and listen, because even though he was scared, Levi would talk about things that Eren had never seen, things that he wanted to see and learn more about.

It took Eren more than a few days before he finally said anything, and it was a question.

"What's a play?" Levi had been talking to him about different plays and would recite the lines by memory but Eren had no idea what it was, he knew it had something to do with talking and saying important things but he had no idea what it actually was.

Levi had turned his head to stare at him, his eyebrows furrowing and Eren felt worried then. Maybe he shouldn't have asked, maybe it had been a bad idea. What if it was a bad question? Maybe he just looked extremely stupid now. Levi had been talking about plays like it was the most normal thing ever and here he was, questioning the topic at hand.

The brunette panicked a little bit and he wasn't even sure why, but then he felt something soft on his head and it was Levi leaning in to kiss the top of his head. He had his arm around Eren's shoulders now and was resting his cheek on top of his head.

"A play is..."

He explained everything there was to know about plays to Eren, down to every single detail. He even told him about all the actors and the make up artist and the people that made the sets. It was overwhelming at first but Eren really liked the idea. When he was little he could remember acting out as the characters in his books, it was something similar to that but people did this as a profession. It was very interesting.

What surprised Eren the most though was how patient Levi was. He had known he was patient, that was for sure, Eren knew he was being a hand full because of his emotional distress and hate. The first couple of days had been hell itself, he wouldn't allow Levi to get near him, he didn't want to even see him, he kept trying to run just to be brought back by the same chains but he kept struggling and fighting until he was dead tired and crying himself to sleep where he fell. He always woke up on a soft bed with a thick blanket over him. But Eren's anger was bigger than the small gestures the Death God would do. He screamed at him, he shoved him and pushed him and said horrible things, he fought and found himself pulling on the chains until his ankles and wrists were bleeding. He had cried so much his face had felt wet for hours, but no matter how much he insulted Levi, no matter how much he hurt him physically, the God never did anything in return but pick him up and carry him back to his room once Eren was worn out.

Even though Eren knew that Levi was never going to hurt him, it didn't stop the feeling of dread that was still filling up his body. It didn't change his situation any less, and although it gave him some kind of peace, it also reminded him that even if Eren was horrible, even if he was acting in the most disrespectful way towards Levi, the God was not thinking of letting him go. Eren couldn't worm himself out of this by making the God hate him, because Levi's acting already told Eren that he was incapable of even being upset at him.

It was also sadly enough the reason why Eren felt the most hopeless. He was never going to leave this place, was he? The two were married and Levi even wore a ring that matched his own. He was trapped here, and he was never going to find a way of escaping, even less now that Levi was trying to feed him something. Eren was not that naive, he could be but not when it came to the Gods, his mother had educated him well in that aspect. He knew what would happen when you ate food from the underworld, you couldn't leave. And Levi was trying to make him eat as much as he could.

Levi had even went as far as to change how his room looked, it was the only bright side of the massive mansion, well brighter, because even if his room now had different colors in it that reminded him of home, they were still very dull. It couldn't be helped though, after all this was the underworld, the brunette was just a bit touched over the fact that Levi had gone to that extent. Even his clothes were not dark anymore, and the robes in his closet were different colors that went well with his eyes and skin tone.

Levi was just too confusing for Eren to understand. He was patient, nice, kind, just and warm, even though his body temperature was always cold. Yet, he was vicious, greedy, lustful and cold. Even if Levi was nice, even if Levi was kind to him, what Eren couldn't forgive was the fact that he had been taken without his permission and he wasn't thinking about the kidnapping, no. He could had possibly been even fine with that because Levi was a kind host. Eren was thinking about how those gentle but cold hands had ripped at his clothes and touched him, how he had been filled by the other and how he had been kissed and bitten without his consent. Eren was thinking about how he was wed when he wasn't even himself, how he had been manipulated and dragged around, how Levi had touched him and done whatever he wished with him, those were the things that reminded Eren of who he was dealing it. Even if Levi stared at him with those eyes filled with devotion, the brunette knew very well what the death God was willing to do to get what he wanted. Eren was living proof of that.

Eren was just glad that Levi hadn't done anything like that again, even if he could be quite physical and was constantly holding him or kissing him, it never went beyond that. It was something that was slowly easing the fear in Eren's chest, even if he would still flinch or pull away from those touches out of fear.

Everything was too complicated, far too complicated. It gave Eren a headache to just try to wrap his mind about what had become of his life. A cold hand turning his face forced his attention back to reality and the young male found himself staring at Levi once again. The raven tilted his head, noticing the confusion in Eren's eyes. He leaned in and kissed his forehead, the cold lips sending chills down Eren's spine, yet a small warmth spread through his body.

"Be good." Levi's words echoed in Eren's ear and then the death God was gone. He disappeared into nothingness.

Eren let out a loud sigh and leaned back against his chair, half sulking against it as he stretched out his legs. He was alone again,with that in mind he looked around the big dining room and stood up. It was time for his daily exploration. Levi leaving wasn't anything new, the young male just figured the other had business to attend, he was a God after all.

If there was something that Eren found out about Levi right away was the fact that he really liked corny, fancy looking stuff. He could recall his mother making fun of big houses like these and big chandeliers and stairways that were bigger than a house itself. She had showed Eren books that had drawings of houses like these and she always went on and on about how pointless they were, calling them tacky and other words like that. But Eren actually liked them, he honestly just liked everything that was different from the little cottage and garden, simply because he was just so bored with it. It was no surprise when he found himself imagining living in a big house like this, except in his imagination the house was bright and filled with different colors. Levi's home was far from that, the hallways were dark and the carpet was a rick, dark blue color with dark walls that looked almost like glass but were not see through. The ceilings went on and on, making the whole place look even bigger. The chandeliers were big and with dark crystals hanging from them that shone against the eerie green lights that filled the castle.

The furniture was dark, the tables were dark, everything was dark! It was extremely gloomy and at first it had been scary for Eren. He wouldn't even step out of his room from fear that he would get lost and die somewhere, but he was somewhat familiar with it now. The hallways were not just dark now, but different shades of darkness. He could see some gray, blue, green and even gold. The colors reflected against the walls and kept the darkness at bay. Yeah, Eren had gotten used to it and he felt a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

Eren was honestly not exploring the castle just because of his vast curiosity, no, he had been feeling odd for the past couple of days. He wasn't sure what it was either, he just had the urge to do something but he wasn't sure of what. At first he figured it was just an after feeling of his inability to escape, his mind was still urging him to do something about his situation, but as time went on he realized it wasn't that. The need he was feeling was abnormal, something was calling him, something was begging him to return. Maybe it was his mother, maybe it was her cries that he could hear even here in the underworld but for some reason he really doubted that. All of the ideas he had were easily shut down by himself and himself alone, the justifications and reasoning he was coming to just didn't make sense, even if they made perfect sense. The poor brunette just couldn't catch a break, if confusion could be described as a person, it would surely be him.

But whatever was calling him was getting louder and louder, and Eren found himself waking up in the middle of the night. He would look around his room and find nothing but he could hear the beckoning, he could feel it spreading through his bones and sending shivers down his spine, and Eren was sure it wasn't just Levi sleeping next to him. The feeling on his body was quite different than when the death God would touch him. Only one thing was for sure, the more he explored the castle, the more his anxiety grew. Whatever he was trying to find, he was close to finding it and it was leaving his body shaking with anticipation.

* * *

Levi quickened his pace, he wanted to be out of here, do his business and then go back as soon as he could. He hated being away from home now, and for a very good reason. He chuckled quietly to himself and kept walking through the dark hallway, except it wasn't that dark anymore and the rocky cave walls were being replaced by a nice wallpaper with paintings on them. Ceiling lights were now illuminating the normal hallway, and the darkness was left behind.

The death God sighed quietly to himself and kept moving, turning a sharp corner and as he did so his clothing started to change, the long robes and dark armor turned into nothing but fog that quickly reshaped itself around his body to turn into a nice black suit. The raven only had to button up the vest and then the suit jacket, fixing his sleeves last with a nod of approval. The suit fit him like a glove, but of course it would. Everything he owned and liked was molded to fit his taste.

A pair of elevator doors soon came into view and they opened up when Levi stood in front of them. He stepped inside and the elevator began to move. Not even needing for him to push any of the buttons, not that they where on a floor that was even part of the console. The raven stood there, waiting for the elevator to reach his floor, all the while ignoring the elevator music that was echoing against the walls. He really hated this song, why did he say yes to elevator music five years ago. He needed to talk to his secretary about destroying those damn speakers.

The elevator doors opened up once or twice but the moment people noticed who was inside they simply turned around or went on and on about how they forgot something in their office, and so Levi was allowed to have a peaceful ride all the way to the top floor. The doors opened up once again and Levi got out this time, and a blond male was already waiting for him and handing him a couple of folders and his smartphone.

Levi walked into his big spacious office and snapped his fingers, the curtains closing right away to envelop the room in darkness. He sighed and turned on the dim lights of his office, locking his door behind him. Even after years of living up above ground, he still hated how bright the sun could get. The death God shook his head and sat behind his desk, opening the folders his assistant had given him.

"You are looking as gloomy as ever."

Levi didn't even bother to look up, already knowing who it was.

"What are you doing here? Last time I told you I didn't want you to step foot in my office." The raven flipped through his paperwork, his cheek resting against his left hand. There was some movement in the background and soon enough there was someone sitting in front of his desk, folding a newspaper and placing it on Levi's desk.

"Well, I wanted to visit but for some reason the underworld is in lock down I can't go in. This was the only place I could meet you."

Levi looked up from his paper work for the first time and stared at the man in front of him. Erwin was smiling at him, looking as pleasant as ever. He wore more casual clothing than Levi but still looked presentable with his dress shirt and slacks.

"What do you want? You never pay me a visit just because you feel like chatting." Levi leaned back against his chair, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

Erwin chuckled quietly and lifted his hands in defeat, shaking his head. "Who said I wanted anything? I just wanted to visit. After all, I still can't believe you now own one of the biggest software companies out there. Who would have guessed you would aim for that, don't you drive an old car?"

"It's a 1965 mustang, not an old car. It's considered a classic and it is the shape my horse feels the most comfortable taking." Levi tsked, clearly offended that the other would insult his ride like this.

Erwin laughed quietly and leaned one of his arms on the desk, moving his chair closer as he did so. "As fancy as ever, huh? Well I guess it makes sense that you would aim for a new company, you do get bored fairly easy now days. Still, I mostly came to ask about something else, and pardon my intrusion, but where's Eren?"

The silence that followed suit was thick and heavy. The dim lights in the office suddenly grew even darker as Levi's glare seemed like it could freeze anything in its pathway, or destroy it. But Erwin didn't look affected at all, he just sat there, his own sky blue eyes looking as cold, if not colder than the god of death himself.

"I'm not stupid Levi, you talked to me about this before but I told you to wait. You had my permission but you took it upon yourself to act recklessly. Why?" Erwin leaned back against his chair again, one of his legs crossing over the other as his hands rest on his knee.

"It was time." The raven said quietly and stood up, running one of his hands through his hair. He was frustrated, no. He was annoyed that Erwin had come all the way over here to talk about this. It had been a few weeks since he had Eren living in the underworld, why come now? Why not when Eren first disappeared?

"Was it? How is that child doing? I'm sure he's scared senseless of you. He had little to no interaction with the outside world and his mother kept him isolated. Is he even doing well? Was it smart to take him away that quick-"

Erwin was interrupted when Levi suddenly threw the lamp on his desk across his surface. The room looked foggy now, darker than before and the lights were flickering. The God of death was not known for being very patient after all, or having the best temper out there. He was gritting his teeth, glaring at Erwin with eyes that were glowing blue and his dark hair looked even darker with a soft smoke attached to it. The skin was paler and sickening but Levi couldn't bring himself to care about his appearance at all right now. He was upset, he was mad. Who was Erwin to tell him this now? Who was he to question his actions.

"When was I going to be able to take him at all then? WHEN? Carla had no plans to let him crawl out of that hole, I didn't even know he existed, neither did you. She kept him hidden from everyone and everything. I was the one that told you about him, I've been the one that has been watching him ever since! After he begged for me, after he prayed for me I answered."

"Was I supposed to wait until he begged again? Until he cried and prayed and prayed just to receive no answer? You know very well how I found him Erwin, you know that kid was miserable there and you know he was willing to rot in the underworld in the deepest side of it if it meant his freedom. He begged for death and I answered!"

Another thick silence filled the room but little by little the room went back to normal and Levi was sitting back on his chair, again, his appearance back to normal. He picked up the lamp and put it back where it belonged, the shattered light bulb fixing itself after the God touched it.

"And you have done so much better? How? You took him from his home and dragged him to another prison, you took what you wanted from him when you couldn't hold back and you even finished the ceremony with only half of his consent. You did no different from Carla, Levi. You claim that you love that boy, that you have watched him from afar for hundreds of years but you have done no better."

Levi's hands went stiff around the lamp, his body tensing up as he looked away with a soft hiss. It was the truth, and he knew that it was. He had been too forceful, too possessive but in the end, he truly did not regret it. As cruel as it was, as terrible as he sounded, he did not regret his actions at all. He was not going to regret what he had done. This is not what he had planned for Eren, he was not going to be like Carla, this was only temporary, once he was sure the other wasn't going to leave him, that he wasn't going to run away. He was going to give him the freedom Eren so much desired, but only then. Once when he was bound to Levi, only when he couldn't run away.

Levi might want something better for the cute brunette, but he never claimed his actions or means were going to be justified. That's what Erwin was missing.

"You are wrong Erwin. I'm not going to keep him locked up for his whole life like Carla did. I'm going to keep him locked up until he loves me."

And the cold stare Levi gave Erwin left no room for arguing. The two stared at each other for what felt forever but it was Erwin that finally broke the silence. He started to laugh, and his laugh was cold and it would echo against the walls. He looked pleased, amused and was now hiding his laugh behind his hand, but he wasn't alone. Levi was smirking, tilting his had and laughing quietly himself, he chuckled and snickered, his cold eyes looking like winter itself. Erwin looked no better and soon his laugh was quieting down and he was chuckling.

"Are you done acting up like a caring parent?" Levi smirked, resting his chin on top of his hands, looking at the other with an amused look in his eyes.

"It's always fun to pretend to care Levi, it reminds me that sometimes I need to care about someone other than myself..." Erwin sighed quietly, the small glee in his eyes still there. "If Carla starts asking I'm just going to pretend I know nothing, but I doubt I'll be able to do much when she finds out. You know how she is."

"I can handle her fine, she has no power over me or my realm."

"I frankly don't care what you do Levi, nor do I care what you do with the boy. You want to skin him alive, that's fine with me. But he has got a place in this world and the world is feeling his absence, as long as you keep things in balance, you are free to keep him." As if to make his point, the God of the skies tapped the newspaper in front of him, and Levi looked at it for the first time. It was a big article about how the sudden change of vegetation was affecting the world dramatically and it could be the end of thousands of species if it isn't fixed.

"I know you will deal with this. I am not worried but please do it with haste, I am getting quite sick of listening to all of those prayers, it's giving me a big headache." Erwin smiled once more and gently tapped his fingers against his desk, already looking interested in something else.

"How did you get him? I'm sure it wasn't hard for you but since he was isolated he knows nothing of the modern world. Did you scare him with technology?" The blonde God chuckled to himself.

Levi smiled lazily, his eyes still scanning the newspaper in front of him. "No, I actually did it old school. I haven't used my carriage in so long, or my second horse. It feels nice though, to pretend things are the way they used to be."

"I would have liked to see that, you have always been quite extravagant in your entrances..." Erwin stood up then, fixing the sleeves of his shirt. "Well, I better get going. Don't forget to fix the issue." He motioned at the newspaper and was gone a second later, the office empty and leaving no trace of anyone ever being inside.

Levi put the newspaper down and leaned back against his chair, his head tilting back before his desk suddenly flew off, turning into nothing but ashes before it even hit a wall. The same happened with the couch, bookshelves, coffee tables, computers and any kind of furniture the death God owned. Levi's eyes were nothing but a chilly white, with a hint of blue. He looked deadlier than before, even hazardous to the touch. The skin now looked like marble that had blue cracks across it and his dark hair had the same smoke like texture as before. He was standing up now, his fists shaking as he tried to control his anger after the little conversation he had with Erwin.

The raven wasn't just upset, oh no, he was livid. He could hardly control himself and he was sure that a few people had died just by his little outburst, but he couldn't keep it in. He hated caring this much, he had never cared before, he had only cared about his souls but the idea of Erwin even suggesting that Levi was even free to hurt Eren in such horrendous ways had truly made him crack. If Eren was to be gone, if Eren was to die, no one would care. Carla was an obsessive bitch that in the end would probably kill Eren herself it she couldn't have him under her thumb. No one else knew about Eren, only the three of them, and no one else was there to care, no one else was there as back up and Levi was on his own on this one.

"Like if I would ever think about doing that to him..." The poisonous love that was slipping through his veins wouldn't allow him to hurt Eren like that. It wouldn't allow him to make him scream or crawl like he had done with many. He couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to claim that body again, no matter how much he wanted to force Eren to hug him back and to do as he wished. He couldn't do it, not again. The idea was driving him crazy and he growled in his own frustration. He wanted to be completely selfish once more, again. Just once more, he needed it...but the little flower living in his sad little underworld, with his sad pretty eyes, wouldn't let him.

* * *

Eren looked around the dead garden, his surprised eyes following the dark soil and moving to the empty water fountain. The garden was big, it had different stone steps and pathways that lead to the different layers of footing. The young male stared down at the ground underneath him and easily slipped off his shoes, his toes dipping against the soft soil and he shivered. He had missed this feeling, and with a soft noise he chuckled and wiggle his toes before walking around the garden. It was a shame that there weren't any flowers or trees, he was sure the garden would had looked beautiful with them in it, but as of now it was nothing but a collection of dirt. Nice dirt too, it was a bit chilly, but moist and it smelled like after rain. If he tried he could probably start a garden here, but he frowned at the idea. Could anything even be alive in this place? He highly doubted that. But he wanted to make it happen, he needed it. The mere idea of bringing this to life was filling him with joy that he hadn't felt in quite a long time.

Eren knelt down and leaned in to get a better smell of the soil. It might had been weird for anyone but him and his mother but this was something natural for him to do. He closed his eyes sighing quietly, his fingers dipping into the dirt much like his toes. It felt and smelled fresh and nice, just like the one above ground.

"Are you going to start a garden?"

Eren almost jumped out of his skin when Levi spoke right behind him. He turned his head around, staring at the other with wide eyes, his heart almost jumping out of his chest. He hated when Levi did this! He always showed up out of nowhere and scared the living crap out of him, and Eren was damn sure that the other enjoyed scaring him because he always had this amused look on his face whenever Eren ended up squeaking, jumping, jerking and flat out screaming.

"Is it possible? There is no sun, no water. Can anything be alive in here?" Eren frowned a little bit, his hands rubbing together to get rid of the dirt there.

"You are alive."

But for how long, Eren mentally asked himself, but then turned his attention back towards the garden. He heard Levi kneeling down behind him, his cold hands moving to hold onto Eren's. The death God leaned his chin on top of Eren's shoulder, a small smile tugging on the corner of his lips as he pushed the brunette's hands into the soil once more. Levi was quietly humming on his ear, his body pressing against his back as his fingers slipped in between Eren's. He kept the brunette's fingers deep in the soil and Eren could feel Levi's fingernails pressing against the palm of his hand. The death God felt different, but Eren couldn't quite pin point what it was.

"You can do it, you can have an even bigger garden than the one you had before. You can create it, you can make it." Levi nodded slowly, his head leaning to rest against Eren's head. The voice was as chilly as ever but reassuring.

"You can feel it,you always could. You can feel the earth, you can taste it, you can possess it. It is part of you, it belongs to you. The flowers, the trees, all the natural beauty in this world, you own it. You are it." The raven pushed Eren's hands further into the soil along with his own, and turned his head to kiss Eren's ear.

"You are what's most beautiful in this world, you are perfect, what you do is perfect. What you create is perfect."

Eren tried to make sense of Levi's words, he truly did but he just couldn't. He was just Eren, no one else. He was the boy the lived in the middle of the forest with a mother that would hardly visit him anymore, he was easily forgotten. He wasn't special, he wasn't anything great but here was the God of Death himself, telling Eren all of this and the young male wanted to shake his head and scream in anger and denial. Why did Levi believe all of this, how could he believe all of this. And he said it with such security in his voice, with out a doubt, everything he said about Eren was what Levi believed. Levi believed in him, he truly did and each word, each praise made Eren's heart twitch and his feelings were even more confused.

The brunette wanted to cry in frustration, his shoulders sinking as he curled his fingers against the dirt, his body trembling. How could he believe all of this, just how? Why would Levi tell him all of this, did he even know how much that hurt him? If he was special then why was he abandoned? Before Eren could continue with his line of thought Levi was squeezing his hands, reassurance filling those hands until Eren felt a soft warmth spreading through his body.

"You can do it, this is who you are. You are not just what your mother expected from you, you are not who you were raised to be. You are Eren, and you are perfect." The voice was bitter.

The brunette took in a shaky breath, his eyes tearing up and he wasn't even sure why. He had just been waiting, waiting for so long to hear words like that. He felt tears rolling down from the corner of his eyes and he quietly laughed at how much crying he did now days. It was almost like it was the only thing he could do now. He laughed a bit louder and the laugh then turned into loud sobs and cries. He curled against the ground and Levi followed along, his hands never leaving his own.

Eren screamed, he screamed all of his anger, depression and sadness into the soil. He screamed until his throat felt raw and only then did he felt like a weight was off of his shoulders. He laughed quietly again, his eyes closing. Everything was insane, everything was crazy. The life he lived had been miserable yet he craved it. He wished to go back to it still. The life he had now was not better, but it felt better. He felt alive, he felt more emotions he ever did before. He interacted with someone else every day. He could feel everything around him, he could taste it against his skin, feel how alive it was, heard the people above ground. Levi was right, he could feel it. He could feel how ready the earth was around his fingers, he could feel the life it was willing to give, how eager it was. The young male smiled quietly, his eyes still tearing up but he could feel something else in his chest, something bigger and warmer.

The brunette stared down at the earth underneath him, not noticing how his body had a glow to it now, a pale, white glow that looked even brighter against the opaque colors of the underworld. He smiled and closed his eyes, pushing his hands against the soil and at that exact second a tree came to life from nothing. The tree grew next to the water fountain, the trunk growing and growing until branches started to crack through and leaves unfurled into life. The violet leafs popped open, some even falling from the sudden growth and showering Eren and Levi.

The soft petals landed on Eren's face, the silk like texture touching his face and reminding him of how wonderful his flora was. He watched with wide eyes as grass quickly began to grow, starting around him and spreading all through the garden. The grass looking even greener than the one above ground. It covered the whole garden and left a light green dust behind as it grew. The brunette slowly stood up and Levi let go of his hands, moving with him and following Eren as he walked through the garden.

Eren looked around, not knowing where to keep his eyes on but he wanted more. He wanted flowers on the soil beds and so he glanced towards the areas. He wanted roses, blue roses and red. The moment those words crossed his mind the roses crawled out from with in the ground, growing until Eren was content. He smiled and moved to the next part of the garden. He wanted carnations next, of all colors and as if the world was pleasing him, the flowers grew as well. He was doing this, Eren was doing this and he kept moving through the garden, his hands touching the different plants before turning towards the soil that was still empty.

Gerbera, iris, orchid, sunflowers, tulips. He wanted all of these flowers and the garden grew around him, moving with him, he didn't even notice the small flowers that grew with every step he took. He grinned instead, and waved one of his hands in front of the ground underneath him and another bed of flowers appeared. He walked towards the tree next, his eyes taking in everything he was creating. The metal arches, the metal work, all of it. It needed to be dressed, it needed to be adorned. The brunette grinned and touched the metal work and then vines crawled out from the ground, quickly slithering around the bars until they were all covered up and large beautiful flowers bloomed out.

He didn't pay attention to the eyes that were staring at him, the eyes full of devotion yet malice. Levi kept watching him, the feeling of guilt slowly sinking into his stomach. He hadn't wanted Eren to find out about this, he figured he could keep him ignorant for his whole life, but the more he thought like this, the more he realized he was no better than Carla. He wanted to keep the boy, he wanted to keep him near him and, hell, if it meant keeping him in a glass cage and locked underneath the underworld itself, then he was going to do it. As sick as he felt when thinking like that, as bitter as his thoughts were, he didn't want anything else. He was manipulating Eren, he was making him know and be as bright or dull as he wished. It had never bothered him before to do something like this, but knowing that he was only one of the few in Eren's life was making his insides twist with the need of possessing the other once more, to own him again, to twist him and mold him into one of his own.

Eren couldn't stop, he didn't stop. He kept going until the garden was brought to life, until it was glowing with beauty and it looked like its own little world. He wasn't even sure how he did it but crystal clear water was even filling up the water fountain and pink water lily's were floating on top. The brunette spun around, looking at everything he had created. He was panting but the smile had never left his face. He didn't know where to look, he wasn't sure when to stop, that was until he caught something from the corner of his eye.

Levi was sitting on one of the wooden benches he had created by twisting and turning tree branches. The God was watching what he was doing, quietly admiring his creations and not saying one word. He looked so out of place with all the bright colors and flowers blooming and lightly moving, almost like if they were alive. He was so monotone, so very black and white and yet...Eren liked how Levi looked sitting right there. He liked how Levi looked so proud of him, seemingly so content with what he had created that Eren found himself blushing and looking away. He let a small smile spread on the corners of his eyes and then sat on the ground near the water fountain, facing the Death God. Neither of them said anything to each other but Eren found himself closing his eyes and enjoying the comfortable silence and he was not surprised when Levi moved to sit next to him and his hand held his. He felt cold lips on his hand and Eren shivered. The whole garden shivered with him, and gently shook, bright dust spread everywhere and Eren looked up, his eyes following the colorful dust.

The brunette smiled from ear to ear and turned his attention to Levi just to hold back a laugh when he noticed the dust had landed on Levi's clothing as well. The robe Levi was wearing now had pink and purple dust all over, some of it was even on his hair and nose, the rest of his clothing not looking any better. Yet, he did nothing but lean his head on top of Eren's, closing his eyes with a soft sigh. It was up to Eren to reach over and gently wipe the dust off of Levi's clothes. The last thing he dusted off was Levi's hair, his fingers gently fluffing up the soft locks until all the dust was gone or most of it at least.

Levi kept quiet, his hold on Eren's hand never weakening and for once Eren didn't mind it so much. What a mistake.


	3. Rotten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sasha = Artemis
> 
> Mikasa = a surprise
> 
> Chapter 3 yay, thank you for all the nice words and stuff. Sorry this chapter took so long, I was having a hard time figuring out how this was going to play off and also work and shit.
> 
> Warnings: Self-harm, disturbing imagines? I'm not sure, sorry I'm awful at giving warnings.

_The little cottage was quiet. Wind was gently blowing through the open windows and moving the thin curtains material, and the sun was shinning through, showing that it was the middle of the afternoon. The flowers were at full bloom, and the stream nearby was overfilled with water, it almost looked like it was about to spread too close to the cottage. The vegetable garden was ready to be harvested, some of the vegetables even looking a bit too old by now. But the eerie silence kept the little garden from questioning where their owner was and what could he possibly be doing. The silence ended near the edge of the forest but it spread all through the garden, through each single room until it ended near the kitchen._

_The silence was only interrupted by Eren's own breathing. He was breathing evenly and quietly, but the silence around him made it loud. He was staring down at the table in front of him, the table that was set up for a meal for three. The three plates were simple in design, nothing but wooden plates with wooden spoons and sparkling glasses. There were two big pots with food that had been carefully prepared and even a salad bowl. The only thing unsettling about the picture was the fact that the food was no longer edible and the stench that was coming from it._

_The food in front of Eren was rotten, it had long gone bad. The fruit salad that he had carefully prepared didn't have vibrant colors anymore, instead the fruit was a dark brown and looked dried, little fruit flies were all over it, infesting the bowl. The soup had a coat of mold on top, and only a few pieces of potato could be seen, the smell was unbearable as the cream based soup had been the first one to spoil. The bugs inside the pot looked worst than the ones inside the fruit salad, and they were quietly buzzing and eating away the rotten food. The last pot, a stew, wasn't just moldy or old but it had been taken over by maggots that were eating away the remaining meat which was leaving the biggest stench in the room. The white creatures were crawling around, eating and consuming everything that they could. Some roaches were scattering across the table, and one of them was even on top of Eren's plate, eating the portion he had served for his plate but never ate._

_Eren had been waiting. He had been told he was going to have company. He had been told to get ready and he did. The brunette made food, and he also cleaned up the little cottage, although by now the counter tops had dust on top of them and some spiders could be seen crawling along the ceiling. How long had he been sitting here waiting? He couldn't really remember. Maybe it had been just one day, maybe two. But he was told people will come, his mother and father promised to visit him. They said they would come, they said to be ready. Eren was just so bad at keeping track of time, wasn't he? He forgot how long he had waited, he forgot how many days had he been stood up. If he waited a little bit longer, then maybe they would walk through his door. If he kept waiting, if he was good, if he waited and waited and waited. He will be rewarded._

_The ticking of his clock near the wall was the only noise Eren was paying attention to, and he almost wanted to look at it but he kept himself from doing it. Be ready by three, that's what he was told, be ready and wear nice clothes. He was. He was wearing the nice robe his mother had bought him a while back, how long ago? He wasn't sure. But he did everything he was told. He hadn't moved ever since he was told to be ready, and he especially stopped caring about moving when the sun disappeared from the sky and came out once again. It did twice or maybe more and Eren didn't move. He couldn't bring himself to move. It was like his brain had gone blank, or maybe he just had no reason to move at all. What reason could he have? Nobody was coming, he was here on his own once again, with no one around. The garden took care of itself, the forest didn't need him. He was not needed._

_The ticking stopped and just then did Eren move his head. He turned his head and dust lightly fell off of his hair. He stared at the clock, it was four in the afternoon and his clock had stopped working. It was broken now. It wasn't working, the workings and cogs having long since rotted. The ticking was gone, the reminder of time was gone and a wave of coldness washed over his body. He felt something inside of him snapping and he stood up, the chair falling backwards as he did so. He let out a chocking sob he had been holding in and then a scream that had been building up for who knows how long. He screamed and dug his fingers into his scalp, his hands curling around his hair as he gently pulled on it and he fell on his knees. He leaned in on top of his knees, his scream never stopping. It almost felt like it was shaking the cottage itself. He screamed and pulled on his hair, his back arching as the pain in his throat increased. He took big gulps of air and screamed again, his hands dropped to his side and strands of hair clung to them, showing the hair he had been pulling out. He was sobbing loudly and chocking on his own noises._

_The young male stood up and his wide eyes stared at the rotten food on the table, without a second thought, he flipped the table over, spilling the disgusting food everywhere. The unbelievable smell only increased then and Eren simply kicked the chair out of his way. He threw everything on his counter top with a swipe of his arm. The plates were thrown across the room, the pots were thrown out of his window and every single little thing he owned was broken or thrown across the room. He kicked and punched the kitchen cabinets, making holes everywhere. He kept screaming, growling and at some point he started crying._

_It was indescribable, how much his chest was hurting, how his throat was burning and not from the screaming. The pain was making it hard to breath and he felt weak. All of his body felt weak. The emptiness inside of him was growing and growing, feasting off of his loneliness. The pain inside of him felt like it was burning, it was suffocating, it was too much for him. He grabbed the clock next and slammed it against the wall, watching it shatter. He screamed again, because screaming was making him feel better, because crying was easing the pain on his chest. He sobbed and the burning only increased and his legs were weak and he wanted to curl up and cry, to shut himself down and just let go. It hurt so much. It was too painful and his knees were slowly giving up on him. It hurt, to be alone, it hurt too much._

_The brunette almost fell over but instead leaned against the wall next to him and picked up one of the big kitchen knives. He walked through the house, looking, waiting, hoping for all of this to just be a joke, for all of this to be a dream. But it wasn't, his mother never came, nor did his father and today was the day he was finally going to meet him. They had forgotten him, they had left him all alone. He was not important, he was not wanted, he was alone. He was in this little corner of the world, all on his own for gods know how long. He grew up here, he knew nothing but this and he had been so alone. He had been so scared when he was a kid. He had wanted to run, he had cried so much. He was still alone, he was still afraid, and he still wanted to run. The pain in his chest was burning and his eyes were blinded by tears. He coughed and sobbed, his feet dragging him across his living room. The furniture was covered in dust, a thin coat showing how long he had waited. But how long did he wait? The idea just angered him further and he flipped the couch, and then the coffee table, the knife stabbing through the multiple pillows and blankets._

_The hot tears rolling down his eyes were poisonous, because it felt like the more he cried the more it was hurting now. The uneasiness he had felt before in the kitchen was gone, and now everything was hurting. A headache was pounding against his skull and he only screamed in return. He was tired, he was sick of this, he was tired of his life, his home, his family, he was tired of everything. He felt his knees finally giving up and he knelt down on the floor, his head tilting back as he screamed again. The scream ripping at his vocal cords and causing him to whimper in pain._

_Eren was tired, he was so tired, he could feel it in his whole form. He could feel it in his very core. He was exhausted, crying wasn't helping anymore, screaming was not lowering the pain. Destroying his home was not making him happy anymore. None of this was going to fix the issue, none of this was going to make his life better. None of this was going to get him out of the cottage, and none of this was going to free him. He whimpered and more tears flooded his eyes. He was tired, he wanted to close his eyes and never wake up. He wanted to go to sleep and forget about his existence, about his life, about the way he had to live. He wanted to forget about his mother, about how alone he was and the pain that was always present in his chest. It was hurting, it was burning too much. He just wanted to rest, to stop hoping. To please end the pain, to stop his suffering._

" _Please, just please. I don't want to go on, please. I'm tired, I'm so tired, just please. No more, not again, please." He sobbed and heard his voice cracking, the weak whispers hardly making it out of his mouth. He heard himself sobbing and the pain and suffering, mixed with anger made him raise the knife that was in his hand. The brunette didn't think about it twice, the knife was brought down onto his stomach. He stabbed it once, twice, three times, his hand moving on its own. It was almost like he wasn't controlling his body but Eren was well aware of what he was doing, this is what he wanted. He wanted it to end, he wanted it to be finished. The pain on his body was nothing compared to the hollowness on his chest and the constricted feeling it brought upon his whole body. This pain was nothing compared to the pain in his head and the tears in his eyes kept falling._

_Eren spat out blood, his mouth dripping thick chunks of blood before he stabbed himself one more time. The puddle of blood around him was welcoming and the red color had never looked more beautiful, it was a thousand times better than the one in his red roses. It was darker, richer and more appealing. He smiled weakly and his hand moved once again. The shaking limb brought the knife near his neck and in a swift movement the knife stabbed through the side of his throat and the teen's eyes went wide as he collapsed on his side. He wasn't dead, not yet, he just couldn't move anymore. He could feel his body growing colder and weaker, but he wasn't dead yet, but soon...maybe soon, he will be._

_The brunette's vision became blurry, he couldn't see well and so he didn't noticed the darkness that was crawling across his living room. He did however saw a shadow, a figure moving through the darkness as he watched it slowly walk into his small living room. The figured stopped in front of him and the teen tried to look up but all that he could do was move his eyes. He glanced at the figure as much as he could before he felt his eyes rolling to the back of his head. He was no longer gasping for air and his body was too cold. Darkness was crawling all around him and the chilling feeling it brought was terrifying._

Eren's eyes snapped open and he took a deep breath. It felt like he hadn't been breathing for ages. He squirmed on the soft bed and lifted his body with his elbows. He was panting loudly and his body was shaking non-stop. The cold sweat covering his body was making his body tremble, which wasn't helping the shaking of his hands. He slowly sat on the bed, his shaking hands touching his neck and then his stomach but there were no wounds there. He took another deep breath, desperate to get oxygen in his body to remind himself that he was alive, that he wasn't dead. The panting didn't stop and Eren felt breathless, no matter how much air he sucked in, it wasn't enough. He was panicking, he was scared and his own paranoia was slowly building up in his tummy, causing his eyes to well with tears.

A hand reached for him and pulled him onto the bed again. The hand forced him to lay down on his side and another hand moved to rest over his waist and gently on his chest. He was pulled near a cold chest and soft lips were pressing against his neck. Eren could feel Levi's breathing against his chest, and slowly, little by little, his own matched his and his body was slowly calming down. He could still feel cold sweat on his body, and his body was shaking but at least now he didn't feel like he was suffocating.

"It was just a dream, go back to sleep." Levi's voice was soft against his neck, and Eren shivered but he couldn't find the will to fight back. He sighed quietly and closed his eyes, his eyelids feeling so heavy he almost thought he was going to black out, but no. He simply felt as Levi pulled him in closer and Eren truly didn't dislike the closeness, or how intimate the position was. By now he was used to sleeping with the death God but not to sleeping this close to him. The touches reminded him that he was not alone, and that reassurance was enough for Eren to go back to sleep, the much needed rest driving away the bad dreams... Or maybe it was the person that was holding him. He wasn't sure, all that Eren knew was that he didn't have another nightmare that night.

The second time Eren woke up Levi was still asleep. He squirmed against the hold until he was able to get free and sat on the bed. He leaned back against the headboard, sighing quietly. The bad dream had been forgotten but Eren knew he had a nightmare, he just couldn't remember what exactly he dreamed about. He could still feel the cold sweat sticking to his body and his head was hurting just a tiny bit. He frowned at the sticky feeling on his skin and decided a bath was much needed. He glanced down at Levi, who was buried underneath the blankets with only his hair showing. The brunette peeked under the blankets and tilted his head at seeing Levi's peaceful sleeping face. It wasn't much different from his passive face when he was awake, but it just looked different, plus his hair was sticking out in odd angles and that made Eren chuckle.

The brunette crawled out of the bed and walked behind the screen that was dividing the room. Like always the water was ready for a bath and the temperature was perfect. All Eren had to do was to get naked and get in, and so he did. He closed his eyes and let out a content noise as the hot water slowly relaxed his muscles. He grabbed the washcloth and started to clean his body but kept his eyes closed, not wanting to deal with anything right now, just the sound of the water. He didn't even realized he fell asleep once again until he felt someone picking him up. Levi's cold hands were under his knees and back, taking him over to the bed as he dripped water all over the floor. The raven set him down on the bed and watched as Eren slowly open up his eyes.

"You fell asleep in the water." Levi chuckled quietly and tossed the brunette a towel. He was already dressed and his hair didn't look messy anymore. Somehow that seemed to disappoint Eren little bit.

"Are you leaving?" He dried his hair and peeked at Levi from underneath the towel.

"Not yet."

Eren wanted to ask where Levi was going, he was extremely curious but somehow he was sure the raven wasn't going to to tell him just yet. Levi kept a lot of things a secret and the outside world was one of them, it wasn't like he didn't want Eren to see it, no, he wanted him to but he kept saying that he wasn't ready.

The brunette didn't notice he was staring until Levi tilted his head at him. He snapped out of it and gave a small nervous smile before looking at the other over. It was then that he noticed something else, Levi looked a bit different, he wore the same dark robes as ever, and his skin was just as pale, his hair didn't look different either but he looked a bit smaller. Eren tilted his head to match Levi's and then looked up at him with a confused look on his face.

"I don't remember you being short!" He almost said too excited.

Levi just blinked at him in return, his eyes slightly wide before they softened. "I'm a God Eren, my body can take any shape I want. If I was the same all the time, it would be boring."

"You can be a dog?" The brunette's eyes widened and he leaned in curiously.

"I wouldn't prefer that but yes, I can be one. Does it bother you? How I look now?" The death God, leaned in to match Eren's pose, raising one of his eyebrows. It looked like they were playing the copy cat game today.

"Uh, no..." Eren leaned back a bit, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck. He squint nervously and looked back at levi. "I-if anything, you look a bit, um..less scary I guess."

"Then I'll stay like this." Levi simply said and pulled away, walking back to the night table to pick up his rings, slipping on his wedding ring first.

"What!?" Eren's eyes went wide and he quickly shook his head. "Y-you don't have too! I mean, I'm used to seeing you being bigger, uh, I just, I mean..." he almost whined at not being able to come up with the words to tell the other that he didn't have to change for him. If anything Eren felt like he was the odd one, he was the uncultured one, he was the one that knew nothing. If anything he was the one that needed to change, he was the one that needed to be different. At least that's how he felt at all times.

"Oh? Would you rather have me keeping you frighten then? Is that what you are saying?" The amused hint in Levi's voice was missed by Eren.

"N-no." The brunette sulked a bit against the bed, and that was the end of the conversation. He followed what Levi was doing though and went to change. He opted for an aqua colored robe this time, with brown thread and borders. He liked this color, no, he loved it. He wasn't even sure why but it made a nice contrast against the dark place around him. He slipped on a pair of flat shoes and followed Levi outside the room.

"You can help me today."

Eren's head quickly snapped to the side to look at him and it almost hurt because of how quickly he moved it. Levi had never asked for his help, he was always in and out of the big mansion and then coming back just to spend time with him. Between reading books, walking around, fixing the garden and talking to each other, the day went away pretty quickly, if anything time moved pretty slow when Levi was not around. The brunette was just slowly getting used to having someone around, it was quite different compared to when he used to live alone.

Eren had learned how to at least deal with one other person besides his mom and dad. Even if Levi was hard to read he was slowly getting used to him. He had a dry sense of humor and Eren would hardly catch his jokes, it wasn't until Levi would say that he was joking that the brunette would laugh, whatever he laughed out of nervous relief or because he genuinely thought the joke was funny was something that Eren still wasn't sure of himself. He was quiet but as in he kept his volume low, Levi was actually quite talkative, he just kept his sentences and topics short. He would get annoyed very easily, not mad but annoyed. He would never tell Eren this but the brunette had learned to catch the little hints, his brows would furrow just slightly and he would start tapping his thigh with his fingers, almost like if he was impatient.

Over all Eren was somewhat proud of himself because he was slowly learning how to read Levi. How could he not anyways? He was intrigued by him, and felt somewhat too small when near him, although the death God had never made such comments, as he seemed to keep Eren on the highest pedestal possible and the brunette wasn't sure why.

"Unless you don't want to..."

"I do!" Eren was almost embarrassed of how excited he was, almost. But he was so excited he didn't notice the death god was smirking, or the dark hint in his eyes that seem to vanished as quickly as it had shown.

The brunette ended up following Levi once again. They were going to another side of the mansion that Eren hadn't been able to explore yet, or maybe he had, he honestly had the idea that the place kept changing every day, but that was impossible, right? But he had never seen another set of stairs near the big ball room. He frowned and kept walking, slowly moving down the stairs. If he had thought the upstairs was dark this was a bit worse, he could hardly see anything. The torches down here were a dark blue color that kept hardly anything illuminated, they were mostly there as a pathway, or at least that's what Eren was thinking. He moved closer to Levi then, lightly holding onto the back of his robe so he wouldn't get lost, little by little the lights disappeared and Eren was in a dark hallway, his footsteps echoing against the walls around him.

"We are almost there."

Levi's voice was reassuring enough to give Eren some peace of mind, but he was still afraid of the darkness around him. He didn't know where to look, if he was stepping in the right direction or if this had been a smart idea. He let go of Levi's robe and then something cold took hold of his hand, it was Levi's hand, the death God was now guiding him, and so he didn't fall when they reached another set of steps and as they turned on another corner a faded light could be seen at the end of the hallway. The light grew brighter and brighter and soon enough it was bright enough for Eren to see what was around him, and he highly regretted it.

The brunette's eyes went wide, the light reflecting against his turquoise eyes as he stared at the walls covered in faces. The hollow faces were staring at them, following their movements as they twitched and struggle to move, almost doing it too fast, making their movements even more erratic as they walked near them. The faces were desperate, trying to get free but their mouths were sewn shut. Their bodies couldn't be seen and Eren was almost sure there were no bodies, the only thing left for those souls were their faces.

"Never spend too much time looking at yourself in a mirror Eren, the reflection sometimes makes you see ugly things. It shows all of your flaws and it fuels your anger. It makes you sad, it makes you miserable and selfish, and sometimes it makes you believe that you are the only person in this world that matters..." Levi glanced back at him, a small smile spreading over his lips. "If all you worry about is your face, then it's only understandable that you'll only have that left after you die."

Eren said nothing and kept his eyes on the floor, his path being guided by Levi as he tried to ignore the twitching movements he could see from the corners of his eyes. He rubbed his lips together, feeling how they were lightly trembling. He was scared, where were they going? He wasn't sure, but as they kept walking he could hear muffled pain filled noises, which caused him to pull his hand away from Levi and cover his ears. He was forced to look up now, and he regretted it. They were no longer in the quite little mansion but in a cave, a cave he never wanted to see. It was massive, it was never ending but the walls and ceiling, the ground ahead of them, all of it was covered in souls that were slowly being tortured, slowly being driven mad. Their own personal hell was the sin they committed and Eren couldn't see, he couldn't bring himself to do it, and therefore he couldn't taken in everything.

Levi kept walking, ignoring how the brunette was hesitating with each step but he was afraid if he fell behind then he was going to be stuck here forever. The weight this place had on him was enough to make his legs tremble and he was sure they were going to give up soon, but thankfully for the brunette Levi finally came to a stop. The raven reached for him and made him stand next to him, keeping a tight hold on his waist. Maybe he was doing it so Eren wouldn't run away or maybe he was doing it so he wouldn't be sweep away.

The river of souls was right in front of them, it was the same river that Eren had seen upstairs. The see through river had a green hue to it, and the souls were nothing but a pale blue color that could hardly be noted. The souls moved slowly some of them had their eyes closed, some of them open, some other looked nervous while others looked peaceful, some were angry, some upset, some going insane. Death was something hard to admit, and when you find yourself waking up in this river, it was only normal to go a bit crazy.

Levi looked unfazed and of course he would, this was his world, his kingdom. It belonged to him and he accepted it as it was, he found it quite beautiful. He ended up guiding Eren down the river, until they reached a pond where the souls were clogged. The pond had small canals that went in different directions and the souls were being divided there, some going north, some moving to the east and so forth. The canals then divided again, guiding the souls to the place where they belonged. Eren had been so distracted by the river though, that he didn't noticed the large sphere above the pound, but when he did he couldn't help but stare. The sphere was displaying people's lives, all of them. Not one was spared and Levi took him to the edge of the pond.

"Some people are good, some are bad. Some are rotten and some are perfect. They each have a place here. Dying doesn't mean the end, dying doesn't mean pain, that is...if you were decent in your former life. Each canal takes them to a different river and there they find where they belong..." Levi turned to Eren whose eyes couldn't look away from the river in front of him or the sphere above them. "The river above us, the one you saw before. That's a special punishment itself, if anyone was to fall in that river, they would be torn to pieces by the souls in there."

"The sphere above us, it shows us their lives. Some people don't deserve rough punishment but one indeed. Some shouldn't even be here. The underworld itself knows how to do its job, but it is also my job to decide. Some souls are just unlucky or sometimes lucky enough to be judged by me."

It wasn't like Eren didn't believe what Levi was saying, he truly did. It was not uncommon for people to talk about how fair Levi was and out of all the gods, if you were to be punished, it would be better to be punished by Levi. He didn't let his own emotions control his decisions and his judgment was never clouded or bias. But, it was still scary, that someone could decided everything for you, no, not just someone but a God, that a God could just decide that even if you did good it wasn't enough to cover up the fact that you murdered somebody. Or even if you prayed your whole life but were selfish and cunning, you had to be punished. All of this was frightening for Eren and he couldn't help himself but to glance at Levi with a nervous stare.

"You are going to do that today."

Eren turned his head and stared at Levi with wide eyes. He was going to judge souls? No, he couldn't do that, he didn't even know how the world outside this place worked, he had never known. He had no knowledge of human interaction, no nothing. Who was he to judge anybody? Who was he to know what was good and what was bad. It didn't make sense. Eren couldn't control his own demons, why would he have the power to control someone else's?

"Levi, I can't do that. I'm not, I'm not you. I can't judge people. I don't know people, I don't know anyone." The brunette frowned, and somewhat he felt scared when saying those words. He was scared and he wasn't sure why, maybe because he was denying the God, maybe because deep inside he was still afraid of Levi, or maybe he was afraid of disappointing the other. It could be any of those things and Eren wasn't sure, his mind was rushing him, his body was shaking and in all honestly he just wanted to be back in his room under his blankets.

"You cannot stay ignorant about the world your whole life Eren. This is it, this is the world, the people that have died through the ages, some of these souls are older than you are. This is the world that you want to see and these are the people that live in it. You want to go outside? See it for what it is."

Levi's voice was cold in Eren's ears. He was daring him. Eren wanted to leave and to be outside, he had said he hated his garden and he hated being imprisoned but, was he really ready to be outside? Could he understand the world that was above him at all, or was he far too behind. He stared at the sphere and he could see the different lives, the different people. He could see a man killing a woman, he could see a woman stealing things. He could see children abusing other children, and he could see older people condemning younger people. He could see a man raping a woman, and he could see a woman raping a man. He could see all of this and he couldn't move, he couldn't look away. This was the outside, this was what was waiting for him.

Eren was trembling, his wide eyes couldn't look away. He couldn't look away from the man that was beating a child, or the woman that was yelling at her son. He couldn't look away from all the abuse and the pain, the suffering and the self-harm. All of this came with the world that Eren wanted to see, this was the world the he wanted to be a part of. The people filled with hatred, envy, pride, violence, and pain. These people would be all around him, and they could quite possibly do this to him, Levi had done one thing, once, but they, they kept doing it. Non-stop, even if it was bad, even if they had suffered through a similar pain, they couldn't stop themselves. They couldn't control themselves, the had the free will to be whoever they wanted, to do whatever they wished, but in return, once their time was up, they had to pay for it here, in the underworld.

Still, Eren could see so much more. He could see the couple that helped a homeless man, he could see the old lady protecting some children. The man that gave shelter, the people that helped each other and prayed for each other. He could see so much more. It wasn't just the hatred and sorrow, there was good and kindness. Happiness that he had never experienced, joy that he wished to have. Freedom that he lacked. All that he desired was in that world, all that he ever wanted to have and own. It wasn't a selfish desire, it was the need. The same need they had to reach for their dreams, the way they fought and struggled and made mistakes and fixed them. All of this, these people were what Eren wanted to be, even if it came with a dark side, even if it couldn't achieve perfection, this type of life was better than all of the years he had been alive.

It could be that he was too naive, or maybe he was just used to seeing the brighter side of things after being in a dark hole for so long, but the bad people suddenly didn't look so bad or scary. If it meant living that life, it was fine, right?

Still, Eren couldn't do it. He couldn't judge them when he wasn't sure of who he was to begin with.

"I can see it, Levi. I do. But I do not understand it, right? I haven't gone through any of that, I have-" He wasn't allowed to finish, the death God was turning and holding onto his jaw. The hold was firm but not painful, he kept Eren's face in place as he leaned in close to him, his form intimidating and bigger again, with even a hint of anger that Eren knew wasn't directed at him but his words.

"You haven't gone through any of that? Anger, suffering, loneliness, depression, and pain? None of that? You have never been harmed, forced against your will, left alone and abandoned? You have never been raped and abused?" Levi's tone was cold and the darkness around him was growing, his pale skin looking as white as snow now and his eyes looked deadly. "You have gone through a lot, Eren. Pretending that it didn't happen is not going to change anything. You know what people are capable of because Gods themselves have done it to you. If Gods can do it, so can humans. If we can harm, so can they, if you are deadly, so are they. So don't for a second in this world act like you are a stranger to pain because that is far from the truth."

"This is the world you want to live in. If you are not willing to accept it then so be it but this is the truth. And if you cannot acknowledge it, and if you cannot see it for what it is... The filth it has, the greed it contains, then you are never going to crawl out from here until you stop breathing." Levi was dangerously close now, the hand that had been holding Eren's waist was now around him, pulling him closer.

"Levi...Gods cannot die."

"Everything in this world dies Eren, the only thing eternal is death."

* * *

 

Forest had eyes all around them, even if they were quiet, even if nobody could be seen around, there was always someone watching. Always someone knowing what was happening. There was no such thing as a blind spot in a forest, the forest was alive, it held living creatures and some other creatures that were not so alive. It was restless and hectic and that was the reason why Carla couldn't believe that no one had seen what had happened to her son.

It wasn't like the forest was an unknown area for her or that she didn't held power in it. She held power over everything with earth and the forest was of course part of her domain. She asked and asked, demanded answers and even once in a while she got rid of some that didn't want to help. It wasn't that she was cruel no, she considered herself quite kind and generous, as legends foretold, but she wasn't very patient and she truly did not like to wait around. It was not her fault that animals or nymphs were not willing to cooperate and it was also not her fault that they were so stubborn, but there was still one more person she could ask and that person had eyes everywhere as well.

In any other circumstances Carla would have called for a meeting. It would had been easier to find her son this way but Erwin had blocked Olympus and made it impossible for the gods to meet there anymore, which also meant that contacting him was quite difficult. She found it somewhat beneath her for the goddess to have to go out of his way to find another God, one that quite frankly wasn't even quite that interesting. But here she was in the middle of the forest, her white robe clinging to her frame. Leaving only the low cut on her back exposed. The long sleeves had golden embroidery and her jewelry was as shiny as the sun itself. The long dark brown hair was brushed back and held in place by the small golden band that went around her head. She looked clean, she looked flawless and her turquoise eyes looked like jewels themselves. In reality she and her son looked so much alike, except Eren was smaller, never held much weight and was slimmer. Carla's face was softer and her eyes were narrow, while Eren's face was round yet sharp and his eyes were big. But over all, nobody could say that they were not mother and son.

"Sasha, I know you can hear me. I know you are around here. I need to speak to you." Carla had a charming voice, it was warm and welcoming, which was an odd contrast to her personality.

The wind was blowing quietly, and a few animals could be heard running, but someone was definably walking over. A dog came through the forest, a big dog that could easily be a normal human's height when standing. The dog was panting and looking around, it gently barked at Carla but did nothing else. A woman soon follow after the dog, she was holding a bow and wearing simple clothing. She looked like she was ready for hunting with her leather boots and pants. A normal woolen shirt covered her torso and a leather vest went on top. The light brown hair was tied in a messy pony tail and she didn't looked too please with seeing Carla.

"You called?" She sounded worried, wary, it was never a good thing when an old God wanted to speak with you.

"You have the best hunting eyes known to the world and the hearing as well. Everything that happens in any forest you can sense and so, Sasha. What happened to my son?" Carla's question was cold, and the warmth her eyes once held was gone. The turquoise eyes held an icy stare that was just daring for the other to lie to her.

It was a simple question but the Goddess of the Hunt looked nervous. It was easy to read her and Carla took a step forward, the long robe she had moving with her like if it had a life on its own and reacted to its owners emotions.

"I heard the screams but saw nothing." The answer was short and the brown haired girl was putting her bow away.

"You are one of the few that knew about Eren. You knew where he was and I asked you to keep an eye on him at all times and you did. So why, the day that my son was taken away, did you turn a blind eye towards him?" Carla took a step forward, making the other goddess take a step back.

Sasha rubbed her lips together, looking away from Carla and around the forest. "I saw nothing Carla, but...but isn't this better? People can now live here. I can now make their prayers come true when it comes to this forest. I can help them and show them that their God hasn't abandoned them. People doesn't have to be afraid anym-"

"PEOPLE BE DAMNED!" Carla's voice turned heavy and dark like the earth where she belonged. It was heavy and held such power it even made the ground around her tremble.

"I do not care about the people that pray to you, I do not care about their needs or their wishes. This forest was my son's! It belonged to him and it has always been his,you knew that very well! Do not make your issues my own!"

By now Sasha was cornered against one of the trees, with Carla leaning in close to her as she glared at her with such a cold stare that could only belong to someone as powerful as her. It was no wonder nobody wanted to fight them, why they had lasted so long.

The ground stopped shaking, and Carla leaned back, looking down onto the other goddess with pity and hate in her eyes. She looked too mighty, too strong and the hunting Goddess couldn't do anything but to avoid her eyes.

"It must be sad, maybe pitiful to live like you do. To have almost no one believe in you anymore, to have hardly any people pray to you. You are obsolete, not needed and you will disappear sooner than you expect. If you don't want to aid me then that's fine but just know that you picked the wrong side this time." Carla moved back and turned, her heavy hair moving with her as she did.

"But I am not stupid Sasha, if you are so afraid to tell me who it was, then it means that is someone stronger than you, maybe even myself. Next time, make a wiser choice." She glanced back at the hunter again, a kind smiling showing before the ground lightly shook and earthy spikes shot out from under the ground, impaling the dog that had been next to the hunter. Blood splashed everywhere and covered the side of Sasha's clothes, along with some organs that had propelled out from the impact.

"Your pet was quite lovely." The goddess turned and left, her steps soundless as he moved through the forest. Sasha fell on her knees, tears rolling down the corner of her eyes as one of her hands gently rest on the head of her now deceased pet.

* * *

 

Eren hadn't found a reason to continue any kind of conversation with Levi after their trip to the river of souls. He just wasn't in a very talkative mood anymore. He was following Levi, wondering if the other was angry at him, although it didn't look like it. The other was speaking softly again and the changes of his body were back to normal, he was even shorter than Eren again. It still confused Eren though, why had Levi taken him to that side of the underworld and why had he frightened him like this. Truth be told he was still scared of the outside world, there was no doubt about it and knowing that they could harm him like this was sending him towards the edge. Maybe he was not ready to be outside, before he had been so eager because he was just so lonely but now that Levi was at least around to keep him company, the wait didn't seem so dreadful.

"Say Eren, lets play a game..." The playful tone in Levi's voice surprised the brunette and he tilted his head curiously. "Its a game called lady in the forest, have you ever heard of it?"

"No, how do you play?" Eren moved to walk next to Levi, looking at him.

"It is kind of like hide and seek. One person sings the lady in the forest song and walks away to hide but they have to keep singing. The other person is the lady and stays behind, when they can't hear the song anymore they have to look for the person singing, and the only hint they get is the song." Levi turned to look at Eren, giving him a small amused smile.

"Why is it called Lady in the forest?" If there was something that Eren never lacked was curiosity.

"It is a tale people tell their kids, well people that live near a forest. They say that if you leave your home at night or play too deep in the forest then the lady that lives there will come and get you. They say the lady eats people and is always weeping, that she is pretty and it causes people to want to help her and then snap, she takes them away."

"Why would anyone make a game about that?" Eren frowned and shook his head, stopping once Levi did.

"Because they think it's not true, that it is just a tale to scare children from going into the forest. But lets play, I'll go and hide and you have to find me, you can even go across the river but if you step foot outside the underworld, I will know Eren." The warning tone at the end wasn't very threatening but by now Eren knew better than to try to make Levi angry, even though it seem like it was impossible for the brunette to achieve such thing.

"A-alright, but that's not fair, you know this place too well." Eren crossed his arms over his chest, huffing quietly at how unfair the other was. Levi knew the underworld like the palm of his hand, he didn't.

"True, but I'll be singing so just follow the sound of my voice and try to find me." The death God chuckled quietly, raising a brow at him.

"Fine, but if I say I give up, I give up."

"Fair enough, now pay attention, turn around and close your eyes." Levi held onto Eren's shoulders and forced him to turn so he was facing the wall, once his eyes were closed the death God took two steps back.

"Lady in the forest, lady in the forest." The death God started singing and walking away from the brunette, the soft sounded softer and quiet. "Don't take me away, please don't kill me today. Lady in the forest, lady in the forest. Please don't chase me around, I promise not to make a sound. Lady in the forest lady in the forest, why do you cry? For a lady so pretty that can even make my dad go blind, shouldn't cry, cry, cry. I'll hide and run, please don't find me in my room."

The song went in a loop and Eren could hear it slowly fading away, but Eren could care less about that. The song, he had heard it before, he didn't know where but it wasn't an unknown song to him. He had never played this game, he had never even heard of it. Yet, he knew the song by memory and was quietly humming with Levi's words. The humming kept going even after Levi's voice was long gone, but Eren couldn't bring himself to move from his spot, he kept feeling the song as it rolled out from his tongue and the melody was echoing in his ears.

The brunette flinched slightly when something flashed through his eyelids and then the humming stopped and he was able to open his eyes again. He was still in the middle of the hallway but felt lost. He didn't know where to go or where to look. He was just lost, lost somewhere he didn't belong, lost somewhere that wasn't his home. He moved through the mansion, his feet dragging him weakly as he tried to find a way out. He felt dizzy, and felt a sorrow that had been buried deep inside his chest and just now he could feel. He let his feet drag him anywhere and nowhere, not caring where it was as long as it wasn't the same hallway.

The turquoise eyes kept looking around, not staying in one spot and blinking so quickly his vision was coming in flashes. He kept walking and walking, almost like if he was being pulled by something, or someone. But he kept walking, his mind blank as he started to hum the same song again. It was so familiar, it was frightening and something deep inside of him was keeping him from remembering why. The steps he was taking became longer, and his walking became faster. The brunette needed air and he was gulping it down quickly, ignoring the numbing feeling on his legs. He kept moving, not stopping not resting and then, he snapped.

Eren blinked a couple of times and rubbed his eyes. He looked around, not knowing where he was. He wasn't near the mansion or anywhere near it. He was in an open field with only ruins around him. The long white pillars were never ending and formed small houses that looked older than Eren's own home. The greek architecture was able to stand strong but it was obvious the place hadn't been inhabited for years. Eren looked around, walking slowly to avoid all the different statues that were around him. The human shaped statues looked old and dusty, some even having missing parts, but there were so many! Eren wasn't even sure how that was possible, maybe the city had been filled with sculptures at some point.

The brunette moved to the middle of the ruins, and looked around, the statues making it hard to see in a straight line or to see if anything was worth looking at. He had never been in this part of the underworld and he was merely wondering if maybe he went downstairs again and ended up lost. He was hoping to all the Gods that wasn't the case, plus he was sure that Levi wouldn't have allowed that. Still, this place was amazing and Eren's curiosity quickly took over. He moved through the ruins, walking through the streets filled with statues. He let his eyes roam over the different buildings and even went inside a few. More statues could be seen, each one of them having a different pose. It was almost like he was surrounded by people. The idea only seem to thrill him and he sat on one of the benches where another statue was sitting.

It was probably stupid to be excited over a bunch of statues but for the teen, this was interesting. All the clothing was different and oddly enough some statues looked older than others and some were holding onto weapons. He gently touched a face and the clothing and even flinched when he touched a stone sword and it was as sharp as a real one.

Eren wasn't discouraged after getting a small cut though, he kept roaming the place, his eyes taking in everything he could, even the old books and cooking equipment some of the houses had. Still,the brunette had been so distracted he didn't noticed the eyes that were slowly following. The stare was not cold or noticeable, not like the one Levi held. But the dark eyes kept following his every move and they were slowly getting closer and closer, moving through the sea of statues until they were near the brunette. The owner of those eyes was looking up at Eren, the body low on the ground, slithering over the solid ground.

Eren could feel someone then, he could feel the movement on the ground and his body went stiff. It was probably Levi, it could have been him. He turned and the figure behind him moved as quickly as he did and a pair of dark, black eyes stared at him. Eren blinked back at the unfamiliar eyes until he took notice of who it was. A girl, or what looked like a girl was looking at him. But it wasn't until Eren kept looking that he noticed it wasn't any regular female. The girl's body was different from the waist down, the pair of legs that should had been there were replaced by the body of a snake. The scales were thick and black, just like the girl's hair. Although the hair wasn't very normal either, the thick stands of hair were not hair at all, but small snakes that were so slim and long that made it looked like the girl just had different chunks of hair divided in braids. She was pale but not as pale as Levi and her eyes looked somewhat sleepy, although she looked slightly surprised. The brunette then noticed that the girl was not wearing nothing at all and quickly looked away, his face turning a light shade of red.

She moved around him though, her long snake like body circling him. She kept staring at him, not looking away and once her body was around him but not touching him, she leaned in.

"Who are you?" The voice was soft, it reminded him to Levi.

"Eren, I'm Eren. I don't know where this place is so, don't ask me why I'm here." The brunette lightly chuckled.

"You are in the underworld Eren, and I know for sure you are not human, if you were then you wouldn't be flesh and bones anymore." The girl sounded amused and chuckled at him, finding it quite funny that the other refused to look in her direction because of her bare chest.

"O-okay, then I didn't get too lost. Who are you?" Finally he had given up and ended up covering his face with one of his hands to keep his vision dark.

"I'm Mikasa."

Eren's eyes widened underneath his hand, of course he had heard about her. She was the woman that could turn men or women into stone by just looking at them. She was deadly, with poisonous claws and strength that was enough to destroy an army, but he thought she died, or so did the tales said.

"W-wait, you are Mikasa? The cursed one? I thought you died!" Eren peeked in between his fingers, staring at the girl's face. She only smiled at him and gently touched his face, lowering his hand.

"I did not, I just moved somewhere different. This place is now my home, and I know who you are Eren..." She nodded slowly, the smile still on her face. It was kind and soft, which made Eren feel safe and secure, like everything was going to be alright even if he was lost. "I'll take you back home, Levi wouldn't be too pleased if I let you go any further."

"Why?" Eren tilted his head curiously, Mikasa's tail was lightly rubbing the back of his neck and back, letting it know that she was still around him.

"This is one of the exits to the underworld and also one of the entrances. I'm one of the ones that keep guard." Mikasa moved then, her whole body moving so smoothly and nice, it was almost like she was moving through water instead of slithering on the ground.

Eren felt his body freeze in place at what Mikasa said, his head quickly turned towards the other end of the ruins, where another cave was. This was an exit, he could leave. This was a way out. He could go home or he could find his mother, he could leave this place and never come back, maybe even go into the outside world and see the different people there. He could make a life and live like he had always imagined, the door was there. The exit was there, and his feet felt like running, his legs suddenly didn't feel tired anymore and a rush of energy was spreading through his body. He could run and get out, he could get out.

"Eren..." Mikasa's soft voice interrupted his train of thoughts and he looked back at the girl. The long snake tail and the claws and the snakes for hair. "Don't try it. Do not anger the Gods...or do you wish to end up like me?" The soft hint of sorrow in her voice made Eren's enthusiasm vanish. The rush of energy was gone and he simply stared at the black haired girl. The cursed body she was in and the loneliness in her eyes. Levi hadn't done this, but if he disobeyed him then what would he do to him? He didn't want to risk it, he didn't want to test his luck and more importantly, he was afraid.

"Let me take you home, Eren." Mikasa reached for his hand and the brunette did nothing but to reach back. He glanced back at the cave once again and shook his head. He wanted to run, to leave, he needed to. The same feeling was back and he couldn't hold onto the hand anymore. He pulled back and Mikasa stared at him with slightly wide eyes, but she didn't stop him. He ran, Eren ran as fast as he could, even knocking over some of the statues but he didn't care, he couldn't care.

The brunette felt his legs burning and his feet twitching as he kept running, he ran as fast as he could and didn't stop. Not once did he stop. The cave was so close and he could feel the cold air that came from within. The ruins were no longer interesting and his desire for exploring was gone, all he wanted was to leave, all he wanted was to go home. Even as he tripped once or twice, even as he hurt his hands and knees, nothing could stop him.

"... For a lady so pretty that can even make my dad go blind, shouldn't cry, cry, cry. I'll hide and run, please don't find me in my room." The singing was back.

Eren felt his blood running cold and suddenly he wasn't moving as fast as he thought. He felt slow and weak, but kept running, he kept running and running, trying to run away from the voice behind him. The song kept going in a loop, and the voice was getting closer and closer and closer. One arm sneaked around Eren's waist and stopped him, while a hand gently held onto his chin from behind. A soft pair of lips were near his ear and Eren was being held in place.

"I had to be the one to find you, aren't you a cheater?"

 


	4. Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Petra = a nymph, that shall not be named, or spoilers. hahahhaahahahaahahahahaha, I'm awful. I like mint too.
> 
> This chapter was a pain in the ass to write, fuck me side ways. This is more of like, I dunno, a chapter to introduce how the fic is going to change in future chapters? Does that even make sense, I dunno, I'm eating cheesecake and not giving a fuck.
> 
> I have a feeling this chapter is gonna have a lot of mistakes too, SORRY!
> 
> Also, I was kinda told it was a good idea to follow stuff in tumblr, I dunno. I'm a tool so like, I'm gonna be following the Fic:Imbue tag, I mean...I dunno, I suck
> 
> Warnings: stuff, if I tell you then it would be spoilers. If you are triggered easily, just...idk, hold someones hand or something.

A gentle song was consuming the whole forest. It reached the rivers and the mountains and it filled the forest with life. The voice was soft but strong, the notes sang perfectly and as it reached its peak that voiced cracked just a bit, just enough to give the melody another type of character. As the song came to an end, a warm blanket spread through the flora, the flowers bloomed faster and the grass seem to curl on itself, before relaxing and blowing freely with the wind. The trees let out a fresh smell that consumed the forest, and soon intoxicated every plant around them, encouraging them to let go the same enticing aroma. The animals were relaxed, going on about their way with such serenity that there was no unnecessary bloodshed. The sun was slowly reaching its lowest point and the forest was ready to sleep, the melody was coming to an end, and as it did the sun settled and darkness crept through the forest. It started towards the edge and it slowly reached the end, coating all that came after the forests edge similarly. Stars came to life and the moon became brighter, letting its presence be known as it gave the night the only light it needed.

The nymph that had been singing was looking at the stars, her brown eyes reflecting the lights in the sky. Strawberry blond hair reached and lightly curled below her chin and the strands seemed to have a light of their own. The white dress she was wearing hardly clung to her shape, it was short and loose in some parts, giving her the freedom she needed to run through the forest. Small flowers and flower vines covered her legs and arms, some of them even reaching her hair. Freckles scattered across her face only accentuated the small nose and thin lips, and as she turned she smiled. The person sitting on a tree trunk was looking at her, his dark eyes staring back at her.

"You have been here for a while Levi, when do you plan on leaving?" She walked over and sat next to the God, her hands resting on the tree trunk as she kept smiling at him."Not that I'm complaining, it's just odd seeing you outside the underworld for so long."

"I'm avoiding home at the moment." Levi's answer was short and he glanced at her, eyes looking her over, noticing that the nymph hadn't changed at all since the last time he met her. It wasn't like nymphs changed much over the years either way, their eternal beauty was a gift and they treasured it. This nymph was no exception, except Levi had known her for years, maybe hundreds of years. It was one of the few people he could talk to. Well, at least he used to be able to talk to her.

"Oh? I thought you were living a happy married life now."

The silence that followed her words was cold. It wasn't awkward, it wasn't thick, it was cold. The comment had meant to sting. It had meant to show the truth. The fact that it wasn't a happy marriage, the fact that everything was worse than before. How Eren was struggling with himself every day, how Levi couldn't control him and how he had dealt with everything. Not only that, but the words were bitter, behind the soft voice and words, there was a bitter tone that the two of them ignored. Petra ignored it because it hurt and Levi ignored it because he didn't want to think about it, or talk about it.

"I am."

Levi's words were absolute. He never spoke with doubt and he never sounded insecure, at least that's the perfect image he gave everyone, he never falter. He had only done it with Eren, once or twice. But not even the nymph had seen this and the hurt in her eyes was enough for Levi to win. If she wanted to use hurtful words, he would too, and his indifference was his best weapon.

"What's wrong, Levi? You never visit me for this long, you know I love your company but you are not much for staying outside for a long time. You enjoy your home, you love it." The little war they had was over and the Nymph frowned at him worried. She reached to gently place her hand on top of his and leaned in to look at his face.

"Nothing is really wrong. Things are just not going as they should be. They are moving too slow, too slow for my liking. I hate waiting."

The nymph chuckled quietly, her hand squeezing Levi's. "I know you do. But you chose him, Levi. You picked him and you said that this was a good choice, that you wouldn't regret anything no matter how long it would take. I told you Levi, I told you so many times that the child, Eren, was trouble. But you ignored me, you picked him."

_And not me._

Those words were left unspoken but Levi knew what she was trying to say. She was staring at him with her eyes looking straight into his. She was a good person, but just like any other nymph, jealousy plagued her. Levi only stared back at her, looking at those angry eyes that were begging him underneath that emotion. She was one of Levi's oldest friends and he could always come to her when something was on his mind, that was until Eren came around. The friendship had strained. She didn't give him words from the bottom of her heart but words that would tilt him towards her favor, to show how much better this would had been if he had left Eren out of the picture.

"I told you Levi, I did." She continued. "I know what that child has done, I have seen what he is willing to do...Why nobody touches that forest, why no nymph dares step foot in it. He is not fit to be with you. Return him to his home, to his mother. Let him be the way he was, or else he will do something Levi, something that even you might regret."

Levi looked onward, even if he did what the nymph was saying, it would be a hard thing to do. The death god didn't want to let go, and he wasn't going to. What was his was his and there was no questioning it. Just like every single soul in the underworld belonged to him, Eren did too. It was his need, it was the one obsession he felt and he couldn't control. He just couldn't. There was no big explanation behind it, there was no story and no real drama. It was just what it was. Levi wanted Eren and he wanted to keep him. As if to clarify his doubts the death god looked at the ring on his hand and then back at nymph. She followed his eyes and removed her hand from his.

There was a long silence again.

"He can't even give you children..." The nymph stared down at her feet, her words quiet but loud enough for the god to hear. "The children your siblings have, that they talk about, that they love and are their pride. One of them which you are wed to right now. You will have none of that, none at all Levi. You wanted a family, I want a family. Are you willing to sacrifice that as well?"

The Death god stared at her, and she turned and looked at him. The two stared at each other for a long time but Levi's eyes never flickered, never showed any hesitation. "Sacrifices have to be made." And there was no doubt in his words.

The nymph rubbed her lips together, her eyes looking away for a split second before glancing back at the god. "Let me do that for you, I can do it. I won't ask for anything else, I won't fight over this with you anymore, if only you let me do this for you. I will carry that child, I will do it for you and I will love them Levi. I will. You will see them grow and they will become your pride, and you will love them. I promise you. Please, a family is what I want the most, Levi."

_But it has to be with you._

More words were left unspoken and Levi stood up, looking around the forest as his eyes stared into something that no one else could see, or maybe he was thinking things over. The nymph gently reached for his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze again, she smiled at him and kissed his hand, bringing it to her face to touch the cold fingers. So she could feel him, and he could feel her warmth.

"Think about it Levi, just like you I can live forever. I will give you the family you don't have." She smiled one more time and let go of his hand.

Levi gently held onto her face, the back of his hand brushing against her hair. "Good bye, Petra." He gave a weak nod at her and then turned to leave, the nymph behind him doing the same, as she knew that he would be back. But that good bye was cold and distant, a farewell that had no doubts, almost like a promise.

But he didn't say no, and that was all the hope the nymph needed, because she was right and the doubt in Levi's eyes made her happy.

* * *

Mikasa had always known she was born in the shadows of the gods. She was invisible, non-existent. It was a sad story, but not a complicated one. Her grandmother ran away from her country, and in this new one she had been scared and alone, with no one to help her except for one man. He was a rich man, interested in her mostly because of her looks. She was so exotic, so different. Mikasa's grandmother accepted to become this man's mistress, out of hunger and need. She had been pregnant even before that. The child was a girl and it was Mikasa's mother. Just like her grandmother she was beautiful, with black ebony hair and a stunning face. It was no surprise that many men courted her and wanted to be with her, but she denied every single one, with the exception of Mikasa's dad. They fell in love, the concept was simple. The older women had wanted her daughter to find love and not live like she did, in fear and only to be there to fulfill a man's need. No, Mikasa's mother found true happiness with this man.

It wasn't long before Mikasa's family moved to what would be their future house, away in the country side. Her father owned a lot of land, and soon enough her mother became pregnant with her. She was their first child and the only one they would have. Mikasa, just like her grandmother and mother was graced with beauty, but that was not what made her who she was. She was strong, determined. There was something inside of her that couldn't be stopped and so she wasn't. But Mikasa had one small flaw, one that she couldn't control or had any power over...she had awful luck. It was like the gods couldn't even see her. It started with her first nanny, she had died when taking care of her. The second one was no different. When the third one passed, they decided that maybe only Mikasa's mother could take care of her.

Mikasa became interested in horse back riding when she was five. She got the pony a lot of girls her age wanted. It was hers and she loved it. She named it and a horse saddle was bought specifically for her. It was her father that taught her how to ride the pony, and he was so careful with her, so loving. Two weeks later, the horse was found dead, a snake bite being the only evidence of what could have happened. It was fine though, they got her another one and after the second one died, she didn't want to ride a horse anymore.

It all seemed like bad coincidences. After all, she still had a great family, a loving father and a mother. They understood her and supported her, she had all of that for herself. She couldn't be unlucky. It was impossible, she had so much and other people had so little. But as time went on, things got worse. The crops her father had invested in, all of them had rot. One year was not a problem but it kept happening, over and over. Then their home was taken away by a fire. All the friends Mikasa would make were soon missing or harmed. All she could do was hide in her home and talk to her mom, asking her what was wrong. They had been doing so well, why did everything change, what happened? And how could it be fixed? Sadly her mother held no answers and Mikasa was left alone to ponder. Everything had been fine with her parent's lives until she was born, until she came around. It was the same with every other incident. It was her, she was the cause and as much as it pained her to admit it, it was the only explanation she could find. She wasn't blessed, not like her parents, not like her grandmother. She bought this upon people and she was the cause, and suddenly being pretty didn't matter anymore because nobody would dare to get near her.

Mikasa could still remember the worst day of her life, it was the day that she first started to hate the gods. She was twelve and her birthday had just been a month ago. The young girl woke up when she heard screaming. It wasn't just any random screaming either, it was definitely her mother. She ran out of her room as quick as her legs would allow it, and what she saw broke what little faith she had left. Thieves had broken into her home, but when they realized her parents weren't asleep and her father had gotten his gun, they decided that what little they had left was worth killing them for. Mikasa's father was stabbed repeatedly, and her mother's head had been cut off. The gore was still fresh in her memory. She could still remember her father's bloody face and twitching body, her mother's idle eyes and semi-open mouth. The way her hair covered half of her face. The way her father's body bended awkwardly on the floor. Everything, she was never going to be able to forget it.

She ran away that day. She ran as fast as she could, she ran before they could get her. The rough stone pathway cut into her bare feet, and she tripped multiple times in pain. But she couldn't stop running, she ran and ran until she couldn't move. It was then that she realized that she was completely alone, just like her grandmother had been. The girl came back home later, and the whole house had been raided of anything valuable. All she took were some clothes and food with her and she left. Even if the guards were able to find out who had done this, it truly didn't matter. She had nothing left, no one to take care of her and no money. The land was going to be sold to cover her father's loans and she was going to be stripped of anything she could possibly use to survive. She left, with no time to mourn her loss.

It was a rough life, she had to work hard to earn food, and sometimes she couldn't even afford a place to sleep. A lot of people wouldn't even want to help her because of the way she looked, she was an outsider. But thinking about how her grandma made it gave her the courage to continue trying. But, unlike her grandmother, she wouldn't sell herself off. No, she was going to struggle like her father did to earn everything he owned.

It was silly for her to think that way, it was silly for her to even consider that she could make it. She was so unlucky, and as she ran through the forest she kept cursing and screaming at any god that was willing to answer her. She kept running, ignoring how tree branches were cutting into her skin, or how she was running so fast that she would sometimes trip over low trunks and cut her hands, thighs, or stomach with the rough wood. She kept running, just like so many years ago, and far behind her she could hear the men chasing her. They were laughing and calling for her, and her eyes stung with tears, as her breath was becoming too erratic. She needed to get away. She needed to run faster.

Mikasa was fifteen by now, her legs were longer and her body had changed, everything about her was slightly different. It had attracted people's attention, especially a group of men who were known for their horrible ways, and it had quickly gotten out of hand. So much that Mikasa had been forced to run from them, and her attempt to escape lead her deep into the nearby forest. She was aware of what would happen should they catch her and the mere idea made new tears form in her eyes. Forcing herself to run faster, she glanced back, noticing that the men were still chasing her and their pace had not slowed down at all, just like hers. She wasn't even sure where she was anymore, the forest was so thick, so wide and it almost felt like it was alive because of the way the trees twisted and went around. When the road forced her to make a sharp turn, she regretted it right away as her body found no ground underneath her feet and she fell down a small cliff. A groan of pain slipped out when her body fell onto the ground like dead weight, her shoulder taking the full fall and her ankle was now painfully pulsing. It was twisted and her shoulder was dislocated. She whimpered and crawled, getting to her feet again and limping as she tried to kept trying to get away but the voices were getting closer and closer.

She begged, she begged to any god, to anybody, to help her. She was shaking in fear, and her steps were getting slower. It hurt to move and any hope she had left was slowly vanishing. A scream tore from her throat, drenched in pain, the pain in her mind, in her chest and the pain her body was going through. It was impossible now to keep from sobbing and her throat was now rough, clogging up, and burning, just like her chest. Mikasa couldn't see what was in front of her anymore, her vision blurry with tears. Her better hand held onto her wounded arm while her foot dragged her down as she kept trying to walk. The voices came closer and closer and she could feel them, she could feel them getting close, the hands reaching for her and then one hand reached for her hair, pulling her back and roughly shaking her head. She fell back, her foot losing balance as she was pulled and roughly shoved to the ground. The hand on her hair left and she quickly tried to crawl and get back to her feet but she was pulled by the back of her robe. She whimpered in pain and a hand pulled on her hair again. The robe was tore from the front first. A pair of hands roughly pulled on the fabric, starting with the fabric on her shoulders, roughly pulling on it and making it burn against her skin. The only thing she could do was scream and try to push the man away, clawing at his hands.

Mikasa was slapped across the face and a big foot kicked her in the stomach. She coughed violently, and the hands pulled on the robe again, ripping and tearing on the layers of fabric until her upper torso was exposed. The hand in her hair roughly pulled on it and yanked her around, forcing her to walk like that until they were in a more open space. The man behind her was touching her waist, the hands moving up and down her breasts, groping without hesitation before a tongue slid over her neck. She couldn't stop crying now and a piece of cloth that was left of her robe was shoved in her mouth. The rest of her clothing was yanked and torn to pieces, leaving her fully naked as she was shoved onto the ground. She didn't stop fighting though, she didn't stop struggling and trying to crawl away. The hands kept moving, pulling her closer and one of the men was on top of her, pulling her hips towards him and forcing her face onto the dirt. She screamed, she screamed so loudly her throat felt like it was bleeding.

And then she heard humming. It was a soft melody and it stopped her struggling. It also stopped her attackers. She tried to look up but couldn't, the hand kept her face buried against the ground, hardly letting her breathe.

Mikasa could hear the men talking, mumbling and the man above her pulled her back by her waist and held onto her hair again. She could see what was happening then, someone was walking through the forest. It was someone that looked smaller than her, even slimmer. The person was wearing an expensive looking robe, adorned with pretty patterns and their feet were dragging on the ground. The person looked out of place, even more so in this damn situation. Still the stranger was walking almost right next to them, their body swinging back and forth as they continue to hum quietly. It was a song that Mikasa had heard before, a song only the kids would sing but she couldn't remember it now, not in this situation.

One of the men moved towards the person, blocking their path and the figure stopped. The man was saying something but Mikasa could hardly hear it because her mind was too hazy, and her senses were still numb with pain. It was amazing that she was still awake but that was probably the adrenaline still keeping her up. The man reached over and touched the strangers face, and she watched as the man touched the raven hair and moved away the long bangs that covered the face. The hair wasn't messy but it was obvious that it hadn't been cut or styled in a long time. As the man pushed the bangs back, his filthy fingers touched the strangers lips, rough digits against the plump flesh before he laughed and yanked on the person's hair. Mikasa whimpered, watching this, knowing what they were thinking about doing with that person too.

She watched as the man roughly pulled on the girl, or boy, she couldn't tell. He yanked on the dark hair harder and brought them near his own body. One of his hands was holding onto their chin and another one was pulling them near by their waist. And what happened next was what startled the girl, she watched as the man suddenly screamed in pain and pulled back, blood coming from his hand. Mikasa's eyes widened, and the stranger took a step closer, slowly moving in the same way. The odd person stared as the man hugged his hand to his chest and Mikasa was able to somewhat see that a chunk of flesh was missing and the unknown person was chewing on something.

The men that had been holding her let go of her immediately and moved towards their friend. One of them quickly inspected the wound while the other two were pushing and yelling at the stranger. Mikasa gathered whatever was left of her robes and covered herself with the thin pieces of cloth. With the distraction she backed away slowly, feeling that there was something wrong, something very wrong, but she wasn't able to get very far, because the loud scream she heard next froze her in place.

One of the men that had pushed the stranger was now screaming in pain, he was struggling and coughing out blood, an arm was going through his chest and a bloody hand was poking through his back. The hand had long, black finger nails. It pulled back swiftly and the man fell on the ground, obviously dead. He'd stopped moving and Mikasa saw the familiar shadow of death on his face. The other three men stared in fear and within seconds they were running away. One of them was impaled by a branch, the thick wood had stabbed him from behind, going through his lower back and sticking out from the side of his shoulder. The man was twitching, still somewhat alive and suffering, but in mere seconds the twitching stopped and his body hung there from the branch, not moving and his feet lightly swinging back and forth. The stranger was moving so fast, they were already in front of another of the men and this one had his head cut off by the same hand, showing the strength that it held. The cut was clean and easy, looking like it had been a sword that tore off the flesh and not a hand. The corpse limply fell down and the head rolled away, resting near the first man who had died. The last man kept running and Mikasa watched as the stranger walked behind him, not speeding up or doing anything. She blinked and then the thin figure was in front of the man and he quickly ran the opposite direction just to have the same result.

The stranger, this odd person, was playing and the man was screaming in fear, running so fast with his pants wet and tears in his eyes. He kept trying to run away, he was trying so hard just like Mikasa had, just like she had struggled and suddenly, she felt herself glaring. The anger that had been building up inside of her finally showed. She was crying but this time it was out of hatred. They deserved this, they had it coming. They deserved it all of this. It was only fair, it was only fair.

"Kill him..." she heard herself whisper, the words barely leaving her lips, but a surge of anger stopped that and she looked up, her eyes wide with tears and anger. "KILL HIM!" she yelled this time. The man stopped running, his eyes widening as he stared in her direction with fear. He yelled at her to shut up, but he made the mistake of looking way from the stranger and he ran right into a bundle of sharp tree branches. The first branch went through his head and then the rest stabbed through his chest, arms, legs and neck. The man died instantly, but his body was still moving and little by little it stopped. Mikasa watched the whole time, her eyes not blinking and tearing away from the scene in front of her and an odd satisfaction filled her body.

The stranger was standing near the body, but in less than a second he was front of the girl and her eyes widened. She couldn't even bring herself to move, the pair of golden eyes were staring down at her, and now that the person was so close, she could tell it was a boy. He was around her own age or at least that's what she was thinking. The dark raven hair reached his chin and the skin was so pale she could see tiny veins crawling over it. But the pale skin had a slight hue of yellow to it, and the small veins were a very light green color, similar but different from the usual blue. The golden eyes were wide, staring down at her, and he took another step closer.

Mikasa remained frozen in place, not saying or doing anything and the boy soon sat down next to her. Slowly he leaned his head on her shoulder, his eyes staring off into nothingness. The blood that had splashed on him was slowly peeling off, leaving the robe and his skin clean, like nothing had ever happened. Really, she wasn't sure how long they sat like that, but Mikasa wasn't able to break the silence. She just sat there, with her hands still clinging tightly to her robes remains and covering herself, but the boy never looked at her body.

Time flew by and she dozed off and so did the boy. She only woke up when she heard foot steps. Mikasa slowly blinked, her eyes hardly able to make out anything in front of her for a couple of seconds, but when she did she felt her blood running cold. A man was walking towards them, but this time it was different. This man didn't feel dangerous, or evil, no, he felt deadly. Just looking at him made the girl want to run and never look back. She shivered and looked at the boy next to her, gently shaking him.

"W-wake up, we have to leave." She said quietly, shaking the boy non-stop until he was awake. The golden eyes looked up and blinked slowly before he sat up and rubbed the sleepiness off of his face.

"Come on, hurry." The dark haired girl said as she tried to stand up just to whimper in pain at the reminder that her ankle was twisted but she still gripped the boy's hand and quickly pulled him to his feet before dragging him away. She was limping and not moving very fast and each time she glanced back the man was closer. He was wearing all black and had a mask on, his raven hair showing, and even though Mikasa could only see dark hollow eyes, she could feel the icy stare that was watching them. She whimpered and tried to move faster, the boy walking with her and never pulling away.

The cold feeling behind her was growing and growing. Pain and fear were slowly taking over and she began to panic, glancing back once again and saw nobody. There was no one there. She blinked in confusion, not knowing what happened, and she stopped. She kept looking around, her hold tightening on the boy's hand. It was then that her view was blocked by a black robe and someone was looming over her. She stayed there, frozen in place, staring at the dark figure in front of her. She was cold, her blood was freezing and she couldn't bring herself to even make a sound.

The man in front of her tilted his head and waved one of his hands in front of her, and within seconds new clothes were covering her body. The black gown was warm and she then noticed the pain on her shoulder and ankle were gone. He faintly nodded at her and then reached for the boy, who simply took his hand and pulled away from Mikasa. She didn't let go though, she couldn't. She was scared, but still she had to, she had to let go, they were waiting for her to let go. She slowly let the warm hand slip from her fingers, and watched as the man gently stroke the boy's cheek. The dark fingernails on the ends of his fingers looked sharper and deadlier than the boy's. The two walked away, leaving the girl behind and the boy started humming again, the man guiding him somewhere Mikasa couldn't go.

That was the first time that she met Eren and Levi. It was also the first time she didn't doubt the gods.

Mikasa snapped out of her memories when she heard quiet footsteps. She was curled up within her tail, her arms resting on the thick coil. Her dark eyes looked up to see Levi walking across the bridge and lightly smiled at him before frowning and looking back at the gloomy mansion. It looked quite different right now. Mikasa couldn't go in, she couldn't slip through the thorny maze that the mansion now was. Thick vines covered with thorns had possessed the mansion. The windows were shattered and so were the doors. The thick vines went around the mansion and broke through the walls, making it impossible for anyone to go inside. Well, at least anyone who's body was at least somewhat mortal. She couldn't go in even though she had tried, she could hardly crawl through the tight space.

Levi walked over and looked at her before turning his attention towards the mansion. He didn't look upset or mad, maybe just somewhat annoyed.

"How long has it been like this?" He sighed quietly.

"A couple of days after you left, it started to happen..." She moved near the door, trying to peek inside but she couldn't see Eren at all. "You have been gone for a month and he was locked up in there, what did you expect to happen?"

"I didn't expect for him to react so quickly." Was the reply as he moved next to her, staring in the same direction she was.

"Levi...why?" The question was quiet and there was a long pause, and the death god said nothing. After a few moments, Mikasa simply looked away from him.

"You didn't even recognize him when you first saw him, right?" He was changing the topic.

Mikasa rubbed her lips together, staring down at the floor with a soft sigh. "No, he looks so different like this. It's not bad, not at all, but I was just surprised I guess. He couldn't even remember me."

"Eren never remembers a lot, having memories makes it harder on him to be alone. He is too afraid to be alone, and he doesn't even realize it. All of his actions revolve around his fears, his fear of loneliness, his fear of himself, and his fear of being trapped. So he forgets, he shuts himself down and acts like time never passed, like it never even happened. It's likely he's doing that to himself right now."

Mikasa nodded her head slowly, her hand holding onto one of the big thorns. She was sad, helpless. She wanted to help but couldn't, all she could do was watch as this unfolded before her. It had been a long time since she felt like this, since she didn't have the power to change something.

"How much time does he think has passed since his mother last visit him?" Mikasa asked, her apathetic eyes resting on Levi.

"He probably thinks it has been just a couple of weeks. Carla hasn't visited him in over three hundred years. Just like always, he starves, cries, and tries to end it. He walks outside into the forest and feeds on anything he sees, to end the hunger, to end his confusion. He is probably trying to do that now, but he can't. There are no humans here for him to devour. There are only souls."

"That's too cruel, Levi." Mikasa frowned and curled up like she was before, looking up at the god with disapproval on her face.

"It's necessary. Maybe things will change, maybe not. I'm just doing what I think will help him." He glanced at Mikasa one last time before simply walking towards the door, the thorns and vines quickly withering away. They dried out and died beneath his feet, and some of the ones that fell from the ceiling went right through him, as if he were nothing but smoke, a dark fog that had no matter. He kept walking through the mansion, not really caring about getting rid of the maze, he was mostly focused on finding Eren.

Levi followed the path the thorns had created, going up the stairs and through different hallways and rooms. Each one was looking worse than the one before, but his steps only slowed down when he realized where the pathway was taking him. He was walking through the same hallway he had taken Eren the same day he tried to escape. He walked faster then, the thorns not only withering but catching on fire as he got too close to them. Blue flames were left behind him and he walked faster, and faster. If Eren was to fall into the river of souls, if he had thrown himself into it... He ignored the thoughts running through his head, and within seconds he was at the other side of the hallway.

The entire ground was covered with the same thorns, these ones twisting in such odd angles it looked painful just to look at them. He slowed down then, seeing a silhouette near one of the river of souls but then narrowed his eyes, it wasn't Eren. He hissed quietly and disappeared in a cloud of smoke before reappearing near the stranger, he was ready to attack but then stopped himself. The silhouette was him. It was Levi, a statue made out of branches, that looked exactly like him. Next to it, there was a statue of Eren, looking at the river of souls like he had over a month ago.

The statues didn't end there, they kept going and going, down alongside the river until they stopped at the sphere that stood above it all. There, Levi could see the last statue of himself and a small wooden chair next to it. The chair had blood on it and a couple of red flowers had bloomed, and the closer he came he could see scratch marks marring the wood. From the look of it, it had been used for a long time. The chair faced the sphere, while it merely kept spinning and showing the many lives of people.

Levi stared at the sphere and then at the chair before his eyes widened in realization. He quickly moved towards the sphere, and the thing stopped spinning then, it stood frozen in place. The death God flicked his wrist and then it started to spin again, this time in the opposite direction. He could see as souls were given their fate, and where they had gone. Exactly two days ago and the days before that, two hundred thousand souls had been sent to some of the deepest sides of the underworld. All of them were killers, rapists, kidnappers, abusers, and over all scum. All of them had been given no pity and no mercy was shown.

The only other person that could had done this, that Levi had allowed to have the power, was Eren. Eren had condemned all of these souls. Eren had sent them to the personal hell they deserved and he had done it while thinking that Levi was right next to him.

The death God felt a small smile twitch on the corner of his lips, his icy eyes widening with glee before he quickly turned. But where was Eren? Where was he. He couldn't find him. Levi disappeared once more but this time he reappeared at the entrance. He quickly moved towards the snake girl, leaning in with a small glare.

"Where is he?" He hissed out the question, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

Mikasa just stared at him, her expression calm. "Levi, when I got here this place was already like this. I haven't been able to get in, and I've not seen anyone getting out. I don't know when he left, if he did, but I didn't help him."

Where was Eren?

* * *

The gentle song of the forest had ended a while ago, the dark sky covered everything and the moon was hiding behind the clouds. No stars could be seen and the light was almost non-existent. Yet, someone was running through the forest. She was running quickly, swiftly, with no flaws in her steps. It was like she was part of the ground beneath her and it was the smoothest surface that no expensive floor could match. She jumped over tree branches and trunks that had fallen over the years. She jumped over streams as she kept running, leaving a small trail of bright dust behind her. The forest was letting her run, it was helping her, guiding her and telling her which way to turn. But the forest had many masters, and those who owned nature were more likely to win a fight since the beginning.

Petra's eyes widened when a root shot up and went through her foot, stabbing through the soft flesh and shredding some of her toes. She fell on the ground screaming, her eyes staring at her foot while her hands dug into the ground in an attempt to ease the pain. She was breathing heavily through her nose, her eyes glassy with tears. It was painful, so painful that it felt like her whole leg was slowly dying from pain and she couldn't do anything to stop it. A gasp of pain slipped out, and slowly Petra sat on the ground, keeping her wounded foot up while she slowly tried to drag herself backwards, by lifting her body and dragging herself with her hands.

The nymph tilted her head back in pain, rubbing her lips together to keep herself from making anymore noises. She wanted to hide, she needed to hide. She kept dragging herself like this, the bleeding slowly stopping thanks to her own abilities but it wasn't going to do much for the missing part of her foot. The forest was quiet now, the wind blowing but there was no sound and the trees around her seemed to be looming over her form, trapping her, keeping her where she was.

She wanted to cry and scream.

Petra was panicking, looking around to her right, then to her left. She was trembling and her grip was giving up on her, no longer able to carry her weight just by the strength of her arms. The pain was not helping, it was making her feel worse, sick, and dizzy.

She couldn't move anymore and she stopped struggling when she could see someone through the darkness. The dark figure was slowly walking towards her, and as it came into view the clothes became more visible. The dark gown had a decorative chest plate, and the black jewelry adorned the long, thin arms. The golden eyes were obviously smiling as they looked down at her, and raven black hair fell atop the yellowish pale skin. There were tiny green veins showing through the delicate skin of his neck and the side of his face. The veins were a darker shade as they reached the bottom of his eyes, while his lips were soft looking and had a pretty pink hue to them, enhancing the small childish smile.

Eren was humming quietly, and stopped in his tracks once he was near the nymph. He tilted his head from one side then to the other, the amused smile never leaving his lips. He gently tapped the jewelry on his right arm which caused a soft clinking sound to disturb his own moment of silence, and then looked back at her.

"Do you like it?" He asked, his voice sharper than before, and full of arrogance. "He made all of this, his taste is so gloomy. But it fits him. He likes to dress me up, and is quite talkative about everything with me. He wants to take me into the outside world, has he told you that?"

Petra remained silent, her glare staring directly into the golden eyes that were staring back at her with nothing but amusement.

"He likes me a lot..." The God nodded, walking around the nymph. "He says he loves me every night, that he is going to make everything better for me, that he is never going to leave me alone...but he left me alone, he did..." At this he frowned and looked down at her. "And he left me to spend time with you? How funny is that?"

"Then you go and tell him he can have a family with you. How troublesome I am and how he can leave me behind. It stings. I have never said anything bad about you. I don't even know you, and you are saying all of that about me. How rude."

Eren stopped walking when he was in front of Petra once again, watching as the nymph started shaking from pain and glaring at him with such fury he was sure it could match the glare of a God.

"You are right, I cannot give him a family...But, neither can you now." And with snap of his fingers a tree branch emerged from the ground and stabbed through Petra's hips, followed by another and then another. Each one stabbing through a different angle and shredding the flesh very much like what happened to her foot.

The nymph stared in horror as her body was pierced multiple times, her eyes widening as tears finally rolled down her cheeks. She wanted to scream but her voice was gone, the shock of what had just happened taking over her body, not letting her do anything or say anything. Finally, she let out a shaky, pain filled noise, her hands gently touching the flesh around the branches. She couldn't see much anymore, her tears were blinding her vision, but that wasn't what she was concerned about at the moment.

Eren ignored the disgusting noises and instead crouched down in front of her, one of his arms resting on top of his knees while his other elbow was on top and his chin was resting on the palm of his hand. He stared at what she was doing and simply kept talking.

"But I don't think he cares about having children anyways, because when he's with me... He forgets everything else." The God grinned slowly, a soft laugh coming from his throat before his hand reached for Petra's chin. One of Eren's long black fingernails lifted her chin and the skin on there turned green, showing how poisonous the claws were.

"So, you are not needed." He smiled at her, watching her tears roll down her face before his hand pulled back. He hummed quietly, his half lidded eyes staring down at her with a condescending stare. The God lazily waved his hand and green dust started to appear around the nymph. The dust was shinning an unidentified bright color, and the moment it touched her skin, the soft flesh turned green.

Petra watched in horror as the dust touched her skin and it slowly started to affect her body, her skin became rough and dry like a leaf and little by little the color changed and her veins started to pop out and then the worst happened. The way her body was changing, the way it was twisting and shrinking felt like every single one of her bones were being crushed. She screamed and shook her head, trying to get away but her feet were now rooted in place. It wasn't because she was in so much pain, but her feet were slowly splitting into small roots that were digging themselves into the ground. The more dust that fell on her, the more she changed until there was nothing but a small green bush with a single, small, green stem that had tiny purple flowers.

Eren tilted his head and stared at the plant in front of him, and slowly his hand reached for it and yanked it off of its roots. "It's not even a pretty flower, you're ugly until the end." He mused and stood up, his fingers slowly tearing the plant apart until all of it was gone.

* * *

Levi couldn't count how many times Eren came back to this place, even though he hated it. He stared at the little cottage and the open door, remembering the time he took him from here and finally dragged him into the underworld. With a small frown on his face, he walked into the small cottage, and went to Eren's room right away. He sighed in relief and leaned against the door frame, watching the sleeping figure that was curled up on the bed.

The death God walked over, the back of his hand rubbing the tanned skin before his fingers ran through the soft brown hair. He gently rubbed Eren's lips with his thumb and leaned in to kiss him, pulling his chin near him. He carefully picked up the sleeping boy, and the other God quickly curled up against him, holding onto his robe so tightly that Levi was surprised.

Eren was waking up, and his turquoise eyes blinked slowly and then looked up at him, his face quickly hiding against his chest before he let out a soft noise.

"Don't leave me alone again, please. I'm scared."


	5. Decieve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: My grammar and stuff...bleh
> 
> I play with my Eren and Levi nendoroid far too much.
> 
> Might be one or two more chapters left for this fic. This took a while to write cuz I honestly had five different endings for this fic and I had to pick one.
> 
> Armin = Helius
> 
> Also someone made fanarts guys, that's so cool and sorry for taking forever to find it orz I fail at life. [Click here for artz](http://nonkan.tumblr.com/tagged/fic%3A-Imbue)

_The noises were growing louder and louder. The moans, groans and pain filled noises were drilling into his skull, he couldn't take it anymore. He tried covering his ears but it did nothing, next he tried humming with his hands over his head, the muffling making his humming echo against his brain but the noises, they could still pierce through that. It was almost impossible for him to numb his senses, he was too alert. The garden he lived in wasn't like this, he could hear the birds, animals in the distance and the never ending relaxing sound of the stream not too far from his home. It was a quiet place and it was lonely but being alone was never as painful as it was right now. It was draining him, mentally and physically, he couldn't do this anymore. He truly couldn't._

_Eren felt his body twitching, it had become involuntary, he couldn't control it, but as he sat here on the broken throne he made, all he had for company were the souls around him. How long had he been here, by himself? He truly didn't know, it felt like it had been forever. He couldn't remember the last time he saw Levi, even less heard his voice. He left, he left him all alone. He should had been good, he should had obeyed. But in reality Eren still couldn't bring himself to regret his decision, he tried to run away but it was an honest action. He wanted to leave, this was just another cage, another place for him to be miserable. He couldn't find peace, he couldn't even think without the noises interrupting his thoughts. It was almost like if the underworld was punishing him itself for defying its master._

_The brunette knew something though, he knew something for sure. He was all alone, all alone again. He had so much time for thinking that he didn't realize when he stopped or came to conclusions. Everything was a blur, and every soul that would catch his eye, he would send to where it belonged. This is what Levi had wanted from him, right? Because now that the death god wasn't around, Eren was at least realizing that the gloomy god wasn't that bad, that he wasn't was terrible as Eren kept thinking, or maybe it was his own delusion trying to tell him that he should accept where he was right now, just like he did in his little cottage, just like he did in his old, sad, little life._

_Nothing had changed, he hadn't changed. He was still the same, and it was infuriating, why hadn't he changed? He wasn't home anymore, he wasn't in that sad lonely place, he was free from it and even if he was stuck in hell, it was something different. It was something new that he had never experienced before, it was frightening, it was scary, but this is what he had wanted, something new, something different. Anything to get away from his old home, but now that he was here. Everything was the same, all of it. He was still feeling the same pain in his chest, and even as he made a new garden, it could only bring him a small amount of happiness. Even if he left this place and went back to his cottage, would things really change? No, they wouldn't have._

_Eren was the problem, Eren was the issue and when he realized this he cried. He hugged his legs and buried his face against his knees. He curled up in the throne of thorns and cried, he cried for so long the noises around him became numb. It had always been him, no matter where he went, no matter how much he tried to run away, the same feeling was going to be inside of him. Even if he was on the surface again, even if he was on an island filled with beautiful water around him, it would be the same. All of it. Because the pain in Eren's chest wasn't because of where he was, it came from deeper than that. He was alone._

_Eren was lonely._

_The pain in his chest that brought tears to his eyes and made it hard to breathe was not going to be fixed just because he had a new home. It only distracted him, it only made things slightly better but as soon as the feeling started to sink in, it was too late. Because it had never left, it was buried inside of him, feeding and consuming everything that was Eren, his happiness, his courage, curiosity, love, and devotion. It was eating him alive from the inside out and he couldn't do anything to stop it, or well, he didn't know what he could do to stop it._

_It made sense now, why he was always so tired, why he woke up without knowing he went to sleep. Why he couldn't remember things that should matter, why he kept telling himself that everything was going to be fine, that tomorrow was a new day. Why he kept trying to run away instead of facing what was in front of him. He could have faced Levi, he could have told him how he felt about how what he was doing was hurting him, how he hated him for it, but he remained silent because when you can't bring yourself to care about you, then who else is going to? No one, because Eren was alone, and the only one that was going to be there for him was no one else but himself, and that reality made him cry harder. He was the only support he had, he was the only person he had. It was just him, just him alone and he couldn't bring himself to have any strength. Everything was too draining, everything was too exhausting._

_But here he was, sitting in front of the river of souls, judging soul by soul. Why was he doing it? Why was he doing this when he knew that there was no point, that it wasn't going to fix how he felt, that he wasn't going grow because of it. Oh, that's right, he was doing it because he was lonely._

_Levi, he missed him. Even if he scared him, even if he wasn't the nice first friend he thought he would have, even less a lover. He was still there, he was by his side and hadn't left him ever since he got here and now that he was gone, now that he hadn't seen him in so long, he was starting to realize how much the others presence had filled some of the void in his chest. Yeah, he missed Levi, he missed him, and he was torturing himself even further for thinking, for thinking that someone brutal, cruel and obsessive could be missed. The idea itself was driving him mad and made him laugh, how more pathetic could he be? How could he be so pathetic that he would miss his captor, the person that abused him and kept him locked up?_

_It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all. He didn't deserve this and if he did what had he done? thinking about that made his chest hurt, because deep inside he honestly felt like he deserved this. All of this. He deserved it, he deserved to be alone, to be abused, to be pushed and pulled. It was what he deserved. Why was he punishing himself, he wasn't sure. He couldn't think of a reason, but the simple fact that he hated who he was. Who he was wasn't making him happy, who he was was the issue and who he could be was the only way out._

_But he couldn't bring himself to think about anything. How could he change who he was if just sitting here on this throne was so tiring, how could he think about a future if just the act of thinking was draining him._

_He knew what he wanted now though, wasn't that enough? Wasn't that the first step? He wanted Levi to come back, he did. Deep inside he wanted the death god back, he wanted him because he needed him, maybe as much as Levi needed him. The whole idea was frustrating, possibly even disturbing but this is what Eren wanted. This was his choice, and that alone gave him the determination he needed, that he was searching for._

_He judged soul after soul, good or evil. He judged those who would steal and those who would rape. He judged the souls that were kind, and selfless and he also judged the souls of the people that were too neutral. Over and over he watched their lives and he could feel what they had felt, the selfishness, the sadness and happiness, all of these feelings he wanted to experience himself. The world out there, the world he belonged to and he was part of, that adored his beautiful flowers and collected them. They loved Eren and for once he could hear them praying, even if it was for something silly, and even if it was just for something as small as a kid praying for her flowers. He could hear them, they cherished him and adored him because of the beauty he brought to their world. What he created was given as a representation of love, happiness, or forgiveness._

_He watched as a man gave his girlfriend a bouquet of flowers when proposing to her. He watched as another man used flowers with an apologetic smile to ask for forgiveness. He watched a kid give his mother flowers just to show how much he loved her. He was a symbol of so many things, and the prettier his garden was, the more people wanted it._

_All of this was possible because of him, he helped people show their feelings and his creations were a beautiful gift. Eren, was this. He who couldn't stop crying, who couldn't stop being sad and lonely, was doing all of this without him knowing. He had never known how he was needed, or how he could be of any good and now that he could see it, now that he was living it and seeing it through the eyes of the people that lived this happiness, he couldn't bring himself to do anything but break down again._

_He watched as a woman dressed in white walked down an island, with pretty white flowers in her hands. The whole church was decorated with different flowers, from white to blue. She was smiling and the flowing white dress was dragging behind her. The man she was looking at had a white flower on his suit, and he smiled back at her before taking her hand._

_Eren was a witness of all of this, all of this love, devotion and happiness, yet he couldn't relate to it. He wasn't happy, he couldn't feel any of this and the feeling of dread that soon followed made him want to stop. But he couldn't, he had to keep going, this is what it was about right? Levi wanted him to see this, he wanted him to see it through this, was this what he had planned all along? He wasn't sure, maybe he was over thinking everything, his head was hurting and his throat was sore from crying._

_Little by little, he could see the world outside through his own eyes, after seeing how he was everywhere, after realizing how he could be everywhere. It was easier than ever to see the outside world. He didn't have to judge souls anymore, all he had to do was open his eyes, truly open his eyes. He stopped thinking about the walls around him, about where he was and instead he thought about where he could be and all his eyes did was search and search, look for that one god that belonged to where he was._

_He saw it then. He watched as the nymph and Levi spoke to each other, he listened to everything and he watched as Levi turned to look directly to him, and he watched the small smirk on his lips._

_Eren forgot, he completely forgot that maybe he was replaceable. That maybe he wasn't as important as he thought he was. The idea made his body feel empty, like a shell he couldn't control anymore, it was cold and he couldn't move. He couldn't breathe. Levi had another option, he always had. He wasn't special, he couldn't make a family, he couldn't even feel happiness for himself. It was all too clear how easy it could have been to forget him. What had he done at all? Cry and be frustrated, be lonely and sad. This was his life, this was who he was, this was all that represented him. It was what he had become and he started to hate himself for it._

_The noises in his head grew louder and louder and he screamed. It wasn't the noises from the underworld anymore, it was voices of people he didn't even know, screams and laughs. And a song, a song he heard a long time ago, a song that Levi sang himself when he was looking for him. All of it was related, all of it was a game. He was a game, and the frustration made him dig his nails against his head, to pull on his hair and fall on the floor screaming. He screamed and cried, angry tears running down his eyes while loud screams tore his throat. He was tired, so tired but he couldn't bring himself to just sleep this time. He couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. He watched the whole thing and the longer the conversation went, the quicker his mind started to snap._

_He was tired of being played with. He was tired of being the one little thing that people keep at home, that they hardly visited and they hardly cared for. He wasn't a caged animal, and if he was he was tired of it. He was sick of it. He had done all of this for him, for him to come back and Levi had been doing this? Behind his back, without him knowing. The whole idea made his stomach twist._

_Because if he was going to be pain, then he was going to make the people that make him suffer, suffer with him._

_Rage, that's what he could feel. He was angry, upset and over all tired. The little bit of sanity that he had been clinging to was snapping, and he couldn't help himself but laugh, laugh as tears covered his cheeks. He couldn't stop laughing, from pain and anger. This is who he was, all of these disgusting emotions that were masked by his own sadness and sorrow. He was anger, he was suffering and weakness. But he was also strong, he was strong enough to push forward, to try to keep going every day, he was very strong._

_Eren wanted this, this was what he wanted right now and maybe it was the right choice, or maybe it was the wrong one. But right now all that he could think of, was how much joy he was going to gain from tearing up the little nymph._

_It made him laugh with sadistic glee._

* * *

Carla stared down at the cup of tea in front of her, the cafe she was in wasn't very busy. The indie music playing in the background was low enough to be relaxing and not interrupt conversations. The big cafe had tables and couches all over with a long bar with wooden stoles that were full. The baristas were quickly making drinks and delivering them to their clients, not wasting any time as the lunch rush arrived quickly. The goddess wore a plain pencil skirt and a blouse with long sleeves, jewelry like always decorated her ears, neck and fingers. She was quietly drinking her tea and looking at her watch, waiting, and waiting.

"Humans have come a long way, huh?"

The soft voice made her look up and smile. Armin was sitting across from her, his hands holding a newspaper that he was reading quietly. He hadn't been there before, if anything he suddenly appeared and no human seemed to notice this.

"Yes, they have. Even knowing that we are here to help them, they keep progressing. I guess that's why they are so marvelous."

Armin smiled at the woman in front of him, he was wearing a simple black suit with a blue dress shirt. The bright blue eyes looked as crystal clear as the cleanest ocean in the world.

"You have been looking for me." The blond said as he waved at one of the waitress to pick up his order.

"I have, actually for quite a while now. I know you don't really have the time or are very curious about the human world, but it would be nice if you could answer our calls once in a while." Carla chuckled quietly, taking another quiet sip from her cup.

"Sorry, I don't carry a cellphone like you guys do now days." Armin smiled and then turned his attention to the waitress that came over. She smiled at him and the blond ordered a simple cup of coffee.

"I want to know where my son is Armin." The goddess put her cup down at looked straight at the man in front of him, the sunny blond was still smiling, resting his chin on top of his hands.

"Eren huh? I haven't seen him in so long. I stopped watching over him a long time ago Carla, what makes you think I know where he is?" He raised a brow, tilting his head.

"You see everything Armin, even if you don't want to, you see it. It is part of who you are, don't lie to me like many gods have now. Where is my son?" She hissed quietly, the hold on the handle of her cups tightening to the point that he cup cracked.

"Many gods have lied to you... That's unusual. But I am not lying Carla..." The sunny blond gave another small smile and raised his hands defensively as if to wave off any worry she might have. "I never said I don't know where he is, I just said I haven't paid much attention to him lately. But don't you find it weird, that all of these gods are afraid to tell you? Why would they deny something to you, when you're the one that provides for most humans. It doesn't make sense does it...unless whoever took Eren might have more power over humans than you do." Armin smiled again, his calculating eyes staring at Carla, how fun.

The goddess frowned, her brows furrowing as she stared down at the table and the cup in front of her. She was thinking and going through the different gods she had spoken to, all of them avoiding the subject or most of them didn't even know about Eren. All of them were hiding something and all of them were pretending that whatever happened wasn't important enough to risk themselves.

"Can't figure it out?" Armin's childish yet cynical smile only grew a little bigger. "I'll give you a hint, he's in a place that I can no longer see him in."

Carla's eyes widened at that and she was about to say something when music interrupted her. It was a cellphone. The goddess quickly reached in her purse and pulled out a smartphone, without hesitation answering it with a small smile on her face.

"Hey honey...no, no, I have a minute. Really? That's great...Oh no sweetheart, I won't be home yet...yes, maybe tomorrow...it's day time where I am...oh really? That's great...no, don't worry, have a good night." The phone call was brief and she quickly put the phone away, glaring at Armin that was still smiling at her in the same way, even more so after she had finished her call.

"You look...content." The sunny blond said, chuckling.

Carla only glared at him and then stood up, she knew where her son was now and the mere idea was making her blood boil in anger. How dare he, how dare HE.

"Mhm, going already? You know, all the doors for that place have been sealed."

The waitress came by then, putting down Armin's cup of coffee in front of him. She smiled and said a small good bye before leaving the two alone, the silence was thick and Armin took a sip of his coffee his eyes closing as he did so.

"Then I'll make my own."

Armin smiled against his cup, things like these were what kept earth still amusing.

* * *

Levi tilted his head back against the headboard behind him, his hand was gently stroking dark locks that felt like silk in between his fingers. Eren was sleeping on the bed next to him, the death god was sitting down his head tilted back. He kept staring at the dark ceiling and the chandelier that was hanging with candles that were lit up. The fingers never stopped stroking the hair and little by little he felt his eyes closing until a hand slapped his own away.

Levi turned his head to stare down at the boy that was now awake and looking up at him with a small glare, golden eyes shining with anger. The hand that had smacked his own away was still near his own and it didn't look like he regretted what he had done.

"Don't touch me, I hate it when you do it." Eren moved from his spot on the bed and sat on the soft mattress instead. He was a good couple of feet away from Levi now and he was avoiding looking at him.

"You hate it?" Levi asked quietly, and moved near the other again, closing up the distance as Eren leaned back away from him.

"I do, I hate most of the things you do. I hate how you are always so forceful, how you act like you own me, how you trap me here and you don't let me go. I hate all of this, I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you, I'm sick of this place, I'm sick of feeling alone and I'm sick of being left alone. Why did you take me?!" Eren was half screaming now, his angry golden eyes staring directly at the dark blue eyes in front of him. "Why did you take me from there when you were going to leave me, when you are not going to be any better. Why, when you just lie and torture me, why? What was the point!"

Eren didn't even give Levi a chance to respond, no, he was narrowing his eyes, leaning in to face the other, to face his fears and his anger. He was tired, he was exhausted, but only sleeping and turning away was not going to fix anything, it hadn't work for as long as Eren was alive. Now that he could feel, now that he was not numb, now that he somewhat knew the monster he was, what he had done and what he had been forced to do, it was driving him insane, he could actually feel the little bit of sanity he had vanishing and leaving him. He had killed so many people, he had killed himself so many times. He had impaled himself with roots, he had drowned himself, set himself on fire, hung himself and even stabbed himself over and over with his own hands. He had done all of this to end it all, to find an end to his life, to everything he felt and he couldn't control, to the sadness and loneliness. And when he couldn't find an end to it, when he woke up and everything was the same, then he was nothing. He was nothing. He had become nothing. The pain was so numbing, the suffering was too much that he had caused other people that same grief. How many people did he kill? How many people did he eat and chase? It had all been him, all of this was him. He wasn't who he thought he was, and as he stared down at his hands he could see the blood of so many people and the many corpses his pretty garden had. The garden in his cottage was a graveyard and the only cause had been him. Just him.

"Why did you do all of this? Because of all the sins I have committed? Because of what I did to all of those people?" The god heard himself chuckle bitterly. "Was that it? A punishment that you had to deliver yourself? Were you tired of seeing this in the souls you judged, is that why you torment me? Is that why you sing that sickening song. I understand, I'm that monster that lived in the forest, I'm the monster that kids are afraid of, that they sing about and make a game out of! Is this all that you wanted me to know! I know it now, so why am I still here? Why, when I went back home did you drag me back here?!" He was screaming now, his hands holding tightly onto Levi's black robes, he was only inches from his face, screaming with angry tears in his eyes but he refused to let them fall.

"It isn't fair..." The death god whispered quietly, not flinching or moving even though the other was yelling right in front of his face.

Eren frowned at what Levi said and he frowned even more when the death god simply smiled faintly at him. One of his hands reached over to gently touch Eren's cheek, even though he was told not to touch him he was still doing it. The cold fingers were gently stroking the soft skin.

"Why do you always remember all of this, but not me?" Levis smile became softer, not caring about how Eren had been yelling at him, how he was holding violently on his clothes or how he had said all of those things. He simply held onto his face, his head tilting slightly to the side. "And each time, you are as beautiful as ever, who you are, no matter which one it is. No matter who you choose to be, in what time or era. In whatever place, you are always so bright."

The death god closed his eyes and leaned in, resting his forehead against Eren's. The skin was cold against the soft skin but Eren didn't pull away or flinch, he only stared at Levi, not knowing what to say. Who he was now, who he had always been, it had never mattered. It had never mattered how pathetic he was or how sad and lonely he had felt, how he had been just over the edge or across it. The whole time someone had been there with him, but again he had been the issue, the only issue all along. The problem above all of them, because even if Levi wasn't human and didn't act like one, he had done what he thought was what he needed. And Eren could see it now. This whole time he had one person near him, but his own sadness clouded everything, his own feelings and pain made him ignore and forget everything, his guilt, his conscious, his madness. All of these made him forget, made him restart. Because he had been too much of a coward to face what he had done, he choose to run away, it had been his choice and Levi was the one that decided to put a stop to it.

He wasn't brought here to be tortured, to suffer or to be in pain, he was brought here because this is what Eren needed. The method had been questionable and what Levi had done was wrong, it was still wrong in his head, because he didn't have to force himself in him, yet, he couldn't hate him as much anymore. He couldn't be as angry anymore, because this fucked up god was all he had. The world was a sad place, and he was living proof of it, but if you expect everything to be perfect then you are never going to find anything good in it. Levi set a plan in motion and hadn't been wrong so far, because he was the only one that truly knew him, the one that knew his anger, his pain and his sadness, the one that watched him destroy himself little by little. The one that knew he was sickeningly jealous and selfish. He had known all along that Eren was going to be watching. The talk he had with the nymph, it had all been a set up for him, for Eren. Not a trick, but a way to push him over the edge.

 _"Sacrifices have to be made."_ That's what Levi had said. He was a cunning god, a selfish one at most, just like him and Eren wanted to laugh. He wanted to laugh.

It had been him all along, how long had Levi been there? Eren heard himself questioning as he stared at the closed lids in front of him. Levi had been the one to bring him food, the one that took care of him when he couldn't keep himself in control anymore, the one that walked with him when he didn't know where he was going. The lonely god that was as alone as he was, and would take care of him. The shadow that never left him and the eyes that were always watching. The stare that sent shivers down his spine because it was a reminder, a reminder of everything that Eren wanted to forget. He was a coward, he was nothing but a fool. Someone that kept running away when things became too much, he was frustrating to no end, yet...Levi never left, he stayed by his side, holding his hand as the days went by. Since the day he met him, since the day he first saw him in the middle of his garden, he had never left. And he could remember, he could remember the death god in the middle of the sea of flowers, looking at him, and Eren had been the curious one, he had been the one to approach him.

He met Levi so long ago, and he could remember smiling at him. The death god, looking as gloomy as ever, as big as ever had stood there in the middle of his garden. He never approached him, in fact he looked almost shy to do it. He simply stared at him, not knowing what to do. Eren had never met someone else besides his mother and as his wide curious eyes stared at the man in black, he felt himself smiling and little by little he approached the god. He could remember shaking, he had been so nervous so scared. But he gathered all the courage he could to meet him, to say hi. The one in the past had been so brave, but now he was nothing more than a shadow of his former self, yet he was happy. He was happy that he knew this, that he could grow from this, that he wasn't as bad as he was yesterday.

Eren felt the pain in his chest growing again, but this time it was different, it was relief. The tears that were rolling down his eyes were not painful and he even felt himself smiling just a bit. He was trembling and his lips were rubbing together but he understood now. Everything was becoming clear, if only had had been smarter or only if he hadn't been trying to hide all of this time, then things would had been so much better.

"I'm sorry."

The death god whispered to him, and Eren felt himself smiling again, he was crying and smiling and it felt so good, so different. The relief washing over his body was good. Because he was imperfect, he was screwed up and he wasn't a good little boy like he thought he had been, he wasn't his mom's boy anymore. Who he thought he was was gone, and who he was now, how he wasn't running, how he was understanding and finding out the truth was someone he was proud to be. He liked being Eren now, he liked being the cruel monster that kids sing stories about, he liked being selfish, but determined, he liked being sad but happy. The Eren now, was someone that Eren could live with.

"I-I'm sorry..." Eren's voice was breaking as he said these words and he watched as the death god opened his eyes and stared at him in surprise. He watched as those eyes slowly shifted into understanding, and Eren smiled in return. He stopped holding onto Levi's clothes and slipped his hands behind Levi's back, his arms went around the god's torso and his face ended up buried against his neck. "I'm sorry Levi, I'm sorry I forgot because I was afraid."

And the cold hand was back, stroking his hair and pulling him closer. Levi only hugged him closer and a kiss was placed on top of his head. The death god felt so warm now, even if Eren's body was shivering, he felt warm, and that warmth only seem to be spreading through his whole body.

In the end he was going to be okay, even if he didn't know everything and was still a little sad mess. Everything was going to be fine, because he wasn't running away anymore and facing what was in front of him with the only person that had mattered all this time, was the only thing he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dunno, maybe Levi ain't nice.

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me stuff, yay!


End file.
